Angel of Death
by dpa7
Summary: Death is easy. Simple. Black and white. Its living in a world of gray that's the hard part. Klaus's family is destroyed, and in return Klaus destroys Elena's family. Elena just wants to die, but Klaus has other plans…Rated M for future lemons!
1. Guilt

Guilt.

That's all that was left. The last plan had failed. It was the last plan they'd ever attempt. After Stefan had stolen Klaus' coffins, Klaus threatened to hunt down those he'd ever known. Unbeknownst to Elena, Damon and Caroline decided it'd be best to team up with Stefan and Kat since they seemed to have the upper hand on Klaus this time around. This resulted in a tit for tat war between the vampires. The first casualties were Tyler and Caroline. After the gang had disposed of the first coffin, the hybrids were ordered to hunt down Caroline. Tyler tried his best to protect her from the onslaught of hybrids, but they didn't stand a chance. Next was Katherine. After the second coffin was destroyed, Klaus personally hunted Katerina down himself and tortured her before letting his hybrids devour her piece by piece. Elena begged Damon and Stefan to return the last of the coffins to Klaus and stop the bloodshed, but they were too far gone to be convinced to back down. Most of Klaus' hybrids had been destroyed and disbanded, and there was only Klaus himself left. Klaus ambushed them in the boarding house on the night of the full moon. Elena pulled up to the mansion just as Klaus made his exit, his black fur drenched in the Salvatore brothers' blood. The wolf shot a piercing look at Elena and took off into the woods as she ran into the boarding house to discover the brothers, wounded and bitten. Over the next few days, they desperately hunted down hybrids for a cure, but to no avail. In the end, Stefan and Damon simultaneously staked each other and died in each other's arms.

Her closest friends, family, and the men she loved were gone. There were no more coffins. The Original Family was now but a memory, written in the stone walls of a cave and survived only by Klaus and Rebekah. Elena had un-daggered Rebekah and let her return to Klaus. What good would keeping her there do? Klaus had spared her brother and Bonnie for not playing a role in the whole thing, so she spared his sister.

And after all the bodies were disposed of and buried, after all the blood and tears and screams, that's all that was left in the wake. Guilt.

This had all started because she was the key to the hybrid curse…because she was the doppelganger. And this is where it would end.

Elena had been sitting in the bathtub of the cheap motel for about an hour, contemplating her pathetic, sad existence. She picked up the razor blade from the side of the tub and toyed with it for a moment, holding it up, letting the bathroom light strike its sleek silver edge. With one cut, she could be free of this Hell, and the world would finally be free of her. She ran her finger down the blade, watching as the blood beaded lightly on the cut left behind. Smiling slightly, she placed the blade to her wrist and slashed hard and deep. Her blood-what once was viewed as precious by many-spilled languidly into the now cold water of the bathtub, creating a ruby, liquid grave. Her vision began to blur and she relaxed, closing her eyes and letting the tired haze of death settle over her as the world faded to black….

A warm sensation ran down her throat, setting her body on fire from the cold that she'd embraced moments ago. Her eyes fluttered open slightly, and she could make out a blurry figure shrouded in black standing over her. Her vision focused slightly more, and she could see that the figure was a man, dressed in all black with hair of golden locks. She reached up and touched the man's blurred face, closing her eyes and sighing in content.

"Are you my Angel of Death, here to take me away?"

A small, deep chuckle emanated from the man. "As a matter of fact, I am, love."

Elena's eyes snapped open, and her heart stopped as she saw the small smirk of the Devil himself.

"Kl…Klaus…" she gasped, and her world once again faded into the dark abyss.


	2. Proposition

Elena stirred at the feel of the hot morning sun on her face. She opened her eyes to discover a couple of important pieces of information: One, she was not dead. One the contrary, she physically felt better than she had in a while. Two, though she was tucked underneath the cool, white sheets of the motel bed, she was completely naked. These two things led her to believe that last night was but a figment of her imagination and that she actually didn't attempt to commit suicide, but rather she took some strong meds that led her to one of the best night's sleep she'd had in a while. She sighed.

"No matter how good I may feel this morning, I know the pain will come back again. I'll just have to try to end it in real life next time," she thought, frowning slightly. It'd all seemed so real…the bathtub, the cool edge of the steel razor against her wrist….and Klaus. Her brows knitted at the thought of him as she sighed once more, thinking out loud now. "Yeah, definitely just a dream…or a nightmare, rather." She rolled onto her back and put a hand over her forehead. "Klaus has been gone from here for a while now…"

"Indeed I was, but it's a good thing I came back when I did," a deep voice vibrated from the far side of the room. Elena simply lay there, not bothering to even remove her hand from its resting spot on her head. It was official-she was losing her damn mind.

"Ugghhh….this is why I wished I'd actually died last night in real life, now my subconscious is haunting me…." She murmured to herself.

"Sorry love, this is as real as it gets," the voice replied and she felt the bed dip slightly. Elena removed her hand to see the intruder and gasped, immediately popped up and bunched the covers around her.

"Kl…Klaus?" she exclaimed, confused but not fearful.

"Elena," he tipped his head in greeting, a small smirk adorning his face.

"Wha….what are you….what the hell is going on right now?" she directed more to herself than to him, running her hand frantically through her long, tangled hair.

"Well, if memory serves correctly, you came to this motel to die last night, and I saved you," he said with a slight sound of amusement in his voice. Elena immediately snapped her head in his direction. "Yes, last night was no dream. It was real, you almost died."

Elena huffed in disbelief, and shook her head. "Then why…."

"Why what?" he narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"Why didn't you let me die!" She screams at him, furious tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. "That's what I wanted! I wanted to die you bastard!"

"I gathered that much when you took a handful of narcotics at that shady bar last night," he said, no longer jokingly.

She looked at him incredulously. "You…you've been following me?"

"I suppose I have. Just for the past day or so," he stood up, stretching his lean arms over his head. "I paid a visit to your dear baby bro and the witchy, and compelled them to tell me where you were. All they seemed to know was that you had wanted to take a break from this town, so I had to trail you on my own."

"Right, using your dog sense of smell?" Elena rolled her eyes.

"Im a werewolf. Not a dog. And yes, I had to sniff you out, which wasn't too difficult due to your lack of bathing these days," he smirked. "I was surprised when I found you outside of town in this little….shack. Honestly Elena, I'd figure you'd want to stay somewhere a little more hospitable."

Elena's cheeks darkened, but she brushed him off anyways. "Yeah, well, wasn't really looking for anywhere to stay long term, obviously." She looked down to her wrist and ran a slender finger over it. She sighed, tired and worn. "What do you want with me now? Why did you come back? You want more blood to make your personal little hybrid family to replace the ones you lost?"

This struck a nerve in Klaus, and he blurred over to her, pinning her down against the mattress with a hand around her throat.

"Don't speak of my family, don't even think of them. It's because of YOUR little circus band that they are gone," he growled in annoyance when Elena did nothing but glare at him and brought a hand to slap his face. Hard.

"And don't you ever speak of MY family, because YOU'RE the reason that they're gone!" she rasped out. Klaus loosened his grip in slight surprise. Even in his grip, with him on top of her, she wasn't even the slightest bit afraid. Yet she still defended the memory of her family and friends just as fiercely as he did. He smirked slightly at her. "What are you smiling at?"

"Just admiring that Petrova fire in you. It seems to be ablaze now," he tilted his head, scrutinizing her. He stayed over her a beat more before climbing off and towering beside her. "Actually Elena, I have no interest in your blood. At least, not directly."

Elena sat up and bunched the covers over her breasts for safe measure. "So, this isn't about hybrids?"

"Let's just say that losing your actual family puts things in perspective," he frowned and looked out the window pensively. "Rebekah is the last of my real family. I've done a lot to hurt her, and yet she's found it in her unbeating heart to forgive me. She's not bound by some bloodbourne sense of loyalty because I'm her sire. I lost sight of that somewhere along the way…."

Elena's eyebrows shot up to her forehead in surprise. This didn't sound like the same hurt, lonely hybrid that had daddy issues months ago…nevertheless, he was still Klaus.

He continued. "Anyways, I came to make you a proposition."

She frowned. 'Figures there was something…' "What does it concern?"

"Tell me something first….why do you want to kill yourself so badly? It's been 6 months since all of that mayhem happened, and it seems that even your brother and the witch are finding ways to cope. Why haven't you?" he questioned earnestly.

She looked up at him defiantly. "Why do you even care?"

He shrugged. "I don't. Call it curiosity. So, do tell Elena. After everything all of your foolish friends gave to keep you alive, you would simply kill yourself. And you even have one remaining family member who I'm sure wants you to live. So why now?"

Elena looked down at her lap. When he phrased it like that, it made her sound extremely selfish. Elena had given this some thought at one point, but had usually pushed it to the back of her mind. Leave it to the god-forsaken man who'd caused most of the misery in her life to bring up her life dilemma.

"I'm tired of hurting, of being alone and carrying this guilt. I'm sick of existing, of being the doppelganger, and of having this damned curse tagged along with me every time I look in the mirror and even consider a normal life," she answered angrily but honestly.

He took a moment to regard her. Yes, the fate of the Petrova's was a sad one, born out of love and hatred. "And this is why I've come to you," Klaus stated, picking up a pen off the tiny bedside table. "What would you say if I told you that there was a way to ensure that this curse on the Petrova line was ended with you?"

"I'd say that I already knew that, and it ends with my death. You know, the one you thwarted last night?" she responds bitterly.

He smirks "Yes, but something tells me that you've given life a thought more than once and you honestly don't want to leave your brother behind. And yet you feel trapped by this curse still, knowing that me or someone like me may be lurking around the corner to terrorize you because of the legacy you carry. Living with the fear that your child, or grandchildren, or even further down the line, will be subjected to wearing your face and carrying your blood curse," he taps the pen to his lips as she looks up at him with the slightest bit of interest. "I want to break this curse that was placed on your bloodline."

She scoffs. "And why would you want to do that?"

"Because I don't want to have to see her face on another doppelganger for the rest of my long existence," he snaps. "The hybrid thing was a phase, I suppose. But this…this is more important."

'Her? Who the hell is her?' "Um…who are we talking about right now?" Elena asks him, intrigued at this point.

"Charlotte Petrova. The woman which whom started this entire thing," he looks down at her like a child. "Of course you wouldn't know much about it, and at this point it isn't important. So, here's my proposition: you come with me, and we'll break this curse. In return, once it is all done and over, I'll leave you and all the rest of your loved ones alone for good. You will be free to kill yourself, or attempt to have an actual life."

"And if I don't take this offer?"

"Then I'll kill your brother, the witch, and then you, love." He says easily. "Honestly Elena, you have everything to gain but nothing to lose if you agree to this. Think of it as an investment for the future," he says, amused again. "Or at least, an investment in the futures of your brother and friend, since you seem to not give a damn about your own life."

Elena was shocked. The one man who used to strike fear to her core was here actually making a valid argument in favor of her life, while simultaneously threatening the lives of her last remaining family. If she did this, it would be for Bonnie and Jeremy. Her life may not have much direction or prospect anymore, but there's certainly did. Since she couldn't help save the rest of her friends' lives, if there was anything she could do to salvage Jeremy's and Bonnie's chances, she would take it.

She took a deep breath in, and looked at Klaus squarely.

"I'll do it."


	3. Mile High Club

Elenas POV

The hot water of the shower felt good, burning and pricking my skin, reminding me that I was alive and that I'd just agreed to do one of the most farfetched things in the history of being a doppelganger. I was willingly about to leave with Klaus, the hybrid nightmare, to have who knows what done to me. He hadn't even told me what all consisted of breaking the stupid curse…but really, did it matter? I was still going to do it anyway at this point, all the pain in the world was worth saving the last two people that I held dear to me. I poured a handful of the cheap motel body wash, vigorously scrubbing myself again, thinking back to what Klaus had said earlier…. 'Not hard to find you due to lack of bathing these days…' That Cocky smug bastard, I cant believe Im going to who knows where with him….'But Im doing this for them….' I had to remind myself. Hah…If Damon were here, he'd laugh in my face and call me a fucking idiot….what I wouldn't give to have his bright blue eyes looking at me with that condescending but loving look right now…

* * *

><p>Elena let the water wash the faint tears down her face before shutting the water completely off. Klaus had left her to take care of her personal things while he went to go grab some dinner from an unexpected artery or two. At least this would give her a bit of time to give Jeremy and Bonnie a call to let them know she was ok but she wasn't coming back anytime soon, if at all. She stepped out of the shower and ran her hand across the mirror, glaring at the reflection of herself. What happened to the innocent beauty she was? All that was left was the bitter and broken shell of that girl as she racked her fingers through her long brown tresses. She quickly dried off and exited the bathroom, and was taken aback a bit when she found Klaus sitting on the edge of the bed. He flicked his gaze to her momentarily, before standing.<p>

"I thought you went out?" she questioned.

"I did, but it doesn't take long to get your fill when you're at a motel with other patrons, Elena," he stated. "Besides, I had to get you something to wear so I wouldn't smell those putrid clothes you were wearing last night." He motioned his hand to a pile of clothes on the bed.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Thanks, I suppose. I'm not going to even ask where they came from."

"Good, or I'd be forced to tell you that I stole them from the young lady three doors down. She was delicious," he smirked, walking toward the door. Elena narrowed her eyes at him. "Hurry it up will you, I'd hoped to be making it back home by at least tomorrow morn."

"Home? You have a 'home,'? Since when? And I thought this whole process would be something a little quicker?" she questioned, picking up the black cami.

"Yes Elena, did you expect me to be living from hotel to hotel? Or better yet, did you think I slept outside this whole time?" He rolled his eyes at her many questions.

"Well, you know, the whole wolf thing and…"

"Enough. Hush and get dressed," he snapped and opened the door. "Besides, do you really think after being free of Mikael, Rebekah would prefer living on the move all the time? Not a chance." He exited the room, leaving Elena to ponder what was next as she got dressed. After she'd finished, she sat tentatively on the edge of the bed and pulled out her phone slowly, dreading having to call her baby brother and lie to him about where her next whereabouts would be.

'What am I going to tell him….should I tell him I'm running off to Hollywood? People turn up dead there all the time….' The phone began ringing and almost immediately, Jeremy answered.

"Elena? Elena, are you okay?" he questioned anxiously.

"Hey Jeremy, I'm fine, you can relax," she said, a nervous chuckle slipping out. He was so concerned. He'd be able to tell if she was lying, no fantasy of running to Hollywood would hold up after everything that they'd been through.

"Oh, good. You had us worried sick when you took off," he sighed. "So what's up? Where are you now?"

"Im outside of Mystic Falls at the moment. But Jeremy, listen…."she sighed, unsure how to continue. "I have something that I have to take care of, and I'm not sure when I'm coming back."

"Huh? Like what? Elena if you're in trouble, I can…"

"No, no, nothing like that. It's just…." She paused, and sighed. She wouldn't lie to him, not again. "I'm going with Klaus to break this Petrova curse."

"WHAT! Are you insane! Elena, he's going to kill you! I can't…"

"Calm down Jeremy, listen to me. This may be the key to stopping this thing from happening again, and if there's a possibility, I want to take it," she left the part out about Klaus threatening to kill them if she didn't. "Besides…what I doing now isn't living, Jer. I'm existing…and if I continue on like this…no, I CANT continue to live like this. If there's even a slight chance of having a semi-regular life, free of this curse, free of Klaus, I have to take it. It's better than nothing."

Jeremy was quite on the other end, except for his heavy breathing. After a moment, he began to speak. "Elena, if he hurts you or kills you, I swear to God I…"

"He's not," she quickly added. "Trust me, if I end up dead at the end of this, it won't be because of his doing…" It was the truth. If anyone was going to take her life, it was going to be her herself.

"What does that even mean? Elena…I know things have been rough these past few months, but we'll get through it, I promise…..but I get that you want to bring this thing to an end once and for all. And…I don't trust Klaus. But I'm going to trust your judgment and know that you are doing this for yourself."

'You couldn't be more wrong baby brother…' But the hope in his voice was enough to set a brief spark within her. "Okay….i'll be in touch, but please…don't get involved with this. You OR Bonnie…do you understand?"

Jeremy sighed. "Okay okay I got it…just…please be safe Elena. I couldn't stand it if I lost you too…"

Elena bit her lip and forced herself to say what he needed to hear, even if it wasn't true. "You won't. I love you, Jer."

"Love you too sis…talk to you soon."

Elena closed her eyes tight as she heard the end of the call drop. She exhaled heavily and fought tears as she briskly walked to the bathroom and dropped the phone into the toilet.

* * *

><p>To Elena's surprise, they would not be driving to their destination as she'd originally thought. As they pulled up to the Richmond International Airport, Elena couldn't help but wonder where exactly 'home' for Klaus was. He parked in the front and let valet take the car as Elena stepped out of the car.<p>

"So…I'm sure you're just dying to know where we're going," Klaus came to her side.

"As a matter of fact, I am. You wanna give me a hint?" she replied, looking around for any sign that may help her decipher where they were headed.

"Across the Pond," he said lightheartedly, pressing a hand to her back and guiding her towards the airport doors.

Elena stopped in her tracks. "You…we're going to Europe?"

"Yes Elena, we're headed for London," he grinned as he saw her face light up the slightest bit. "Now if you don't mind hurrying up, we have a plane to catch."

Elena would never admit that she was slightly excited and a little bit anxious as she sat in the large, comfy seat in first class. She looked out the window, admiring the puffy clouds underneath. A small feeling of guilt began to creep up in her mind as she remembered why she was doing this in the first place. This wasn't a trip of pleasure. This was totally business. And she was sitting next to a man, no, a monster, that could kill-that had killed her once, already. She glanced over at him, watching as he sipped a glass of red wine silently. 'What's he thinking about in that psychotic head of his…' Elena pondered.

Klaus caught her sideways gaze and huffed. "You know it's rude to stare." Elena turned her gaze back out the window quickly, swallowing. Klaus yawned and stretched, waving for a flight attendant to come by. "I need a drink. A real one." He handed the glass over to the stout brunette woman, and turned to Elena. "Who would you suggest, hm?"

Elena looked at him appalled. "None of them! Are you insane! You cant do that on a plane!" she hissed quietly.

Klaus chuckled. "Oh, but of course I can Elena…How about that blonde one in front of us?"

Elena glanced to the woman, who was sleeping soundly on the shoulder of her husband. "No!" she whispered.

"Okay, well how about the redhead Irish doll, 2 rows back?" He reveled in the amount of discomfort he was causing Elena. She'd broken into a slight sweat.

"No! Can't you just wait until we get off the plane? Surely we're almost there!" she hissed again.

Klaus looked at her sternly. "I could, but I don't want to, and I shouldn't have to. Especially when I have a perfectly fine bloodbag in tow with me," he grabbed her wrist and stood up, pulling her along with him. Elena briefly considered struggling, but thought better of it as he pulled her toward the lavatory at the front of the plane. He turned to address the first class passengers as he pushed Elena into the tiny bathroom. "Nothing to see her folks, just having a brief chat with my girl here." He entered the bathroom and promptly shut the door behind him.

"Klaus, what the hell are you…" Elena was silenced as he stepped forward and placed two fingers against her lips firmly.

"Don't forget your place, doppelganger. You are alive because I allow it," he growled roughly in her ear. The bathroom was extremely compact, so much so that Elena found herself pressed against the wall with Klaus flush against her. He slid his fingers from her lips and down to her throat, brushing the hair away to rest his lips over the junction between her neck and her shoulder. Elena was breathing heavily now, her hands fisted at her sides her eyelids tightly shut when she felt one of his hands grip a handful of her hair and pull her head to the side to expose the area even more, while the other hand slid to rest on her hip. She felt him pull back a bit, before biting down hard, letting his fangs sink deep into her skin. Elena opened her mouth to scream, but not before Klaus quickly removed the hand from her hair to close over her mouth tightly. Elena whimpered against his palm as he growled and drank deeply, gripping her hip and pushing himself against her even more fully. Elena felt the deep draws he was taking from her, and something else. Something lower…something primal that burned in her belly as she felt his now swollen length press roughly against her. Klaus took one last swallow before pulling himself out of her neck, throwing his head back and reveling in the high that her blood was providing. Elena's knees gave out as she slid down onto the toilet, both of them breathing raggedly. Klaus regained his composure, and licked his lips, meeting her fiery glare as she gripped her neck tightly.

"I'd almost forgotten…how good Petrova blood tasted," he put a finger against a fang and pierced his own skin, moving her hand to smooth his blood over the wound. It immediately began to heal itself. The sign for seatbelts became immediately illuminated, and the pilot announced that they were about to begin the final descent into Heathrow Airport. Klaus gave Elena a dangerous smile before exiting the bathroom. Elena threw her head back onto the wall, running a shaky hand through her wavy locks.

'Son of a bitch….'


	4. Domesticity

The plane landing took a bit longer than expected due to the tumultuous weather. Elena sat against a wall and peered out of the large window panes of Heathrow Airport, looking up at the malevolent sky. Dusk was beginning to settle in, and so was a storm. She balled up tighter, resting her chin on her knees, and letting her eyes rest. The combination of a turbulent plane ride, crappy airplane food, and Klaus taking her blood had all but worn her out. Her thoughts, surprisingly, wandered to Katherine. Her and the elder doppelganger had never had much of a relationship, yet sometimes she felt that Katherine was the older, more street-wise sister that she'd never had. Looking back on what she knew of Katherine, she now admired how the vampire had chosen to always fight for survival, even when all that she loved had been taken away. 'I should take a lesson out of her book….'Elena thought as she opened her eyes to see Klaus leaning against the other side of the glass, admiring the oncoming storm as well. The way he casually leaned against the glass in his leather jacket reminded her painfully of Damon. She once again closed her eyes, trying to push away the memories and the pain. She felt the presence of another standing next to her, and brought her eyes up to see who it was. To her surprise, it was the blonde sister, whom Damon once affectionately called 'Barbie Klaus.' She gave Elena a sideways smile.

"Hello Elena, nice to see you so….alive," she almost snickered. Elena sighed and stood up. "You look like Hell."

"Yeah, well, a plane ride with your brother will do that to you," Elena retorted.

"Heh, don't I know. So, where are your bags and things?" Rebekah looked around.

"Umm…I don't have any. I wasn't packing for a vacation. Honestly I hadn't had a clue that I would be coming this far."

"Or staying as long as you would be staying I'm guessing. No worries though, there are plenty of boutiques here to shop about," Rebekah turned to head back out the door. Elena looked perplexed as she quickly followed Rebekah out the door.

"Rebekah, wait!" she grabbed the vampire by the arm to stop her. She turned to face Elena, who was eager to question her. "What do you mean, staying for long? Do you know what needs to be done to break the curse?"

"Of course she does, but it's not her place to divulge such information," Klaus interrupted the girls, putting an arm around her sister and kissing her temple.

"Ughh, knock it off Niklaus. I swear you've gone soft in your old age," Rebekah grumbled, pushing him off lightly.

"Not so soft that I can't take you down," he pounced at her, making her squeal slightly and run towards a red Mercedes convertible.

"I said knock it off! Come now, before this awful storm decides to settle in!" She quickly went to the driver's side, with Klaus following behind. The small exchange between the siblings weirded Elena out a bit to say the least, but she followed them silently and stepped into the back seat. Elena sat back in the black leather seats of the luxury car, and looked out the window silently admiring the different architectures and infrastructures of the city. Klaus and Rebekah began speaking in a language foreign to Elena's ears. She could only guess that this was their native tongue from the way they spoke it so fluidly, though Elena wasn't sure where that could be. 'Maybe Bulgarian.' She figured. Nonetheless, the mysterious foreign conversation and the smooth ride of the foreign car lulled Elena into a light sleep.

* * *

><p>A sudden stop with the sound of unbuckling seatbelts alerted Elena that they'd reached whatever their destination was. She opened her eyes and peered out the window. It was dark and raining, but she could clearly see that they were parked in front of a very large, modern looking house. It appeared that the house itself was very secluded, as she didn't see any houses in the immediate vicinity. A quick look through the back window of the car confirm her suspicions: a main road was nowhere in sight, and the property appeared to be gated. The sound of a car door closing snapped Elena out of her train of thought, and she noticed that she and Rebekah were the only ones left in the car as Klaus had run to the house. Elena contemplated asking Rebekah once again, but thought better of it. No matter what their past had been, her loyalty would undoubtedly lie with her brother. Besides, Elena had literally stabbed Rebekah in the back not too long ago, when Rebekah had let her guard down to trust Elena. Something told her that that wouldn't be happening any time soon.<p>

Rebekah once again interrupted Elena's thoughts by speaking first. "So, how's life been since you've gotten rid of all those pesky vampires?"

Elena frowned. Those 'pesky' vampires were her friends, her family. "Pretty damn lousy to be honest. I see you're still sticking with Klaus."

Rebekah frowned. "Haven't we had this conversation before, about brothers and all? If memory serves, you still have a brother that is alive and well, do you not?"

Elena bit her lip and looked down at her lap. "I do. But he's better off without me around."

Rebekah snorted. "Yeah, right….They're our brothers Elena, but they're still men. They need to be guided by us, because their pathetic male egos can't survive without our womanly presence."

Elena smiled at the thought, and was suddenly thankful that Bonnie was there to be with Jeremy. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to go through with any of this had he been left there alone. The house suddenly became illuminated, and Rebekah opened her door to get out. Elena followed suit, running much slower than Rebekah toward the house and out of the rain. Once she was inside and Klaus shut the front door behind her, she began to admire just how beautiful the house was. The floors were a polished, light colored bamboo, and the house seemed to be an intricate design of steel, wood, glass, and drywall. From what Elena could make out, the house had 3 levels, each of which she could look up at the ceiling and see the railings of the walkways that were on each. Klaus and Rebekah stripped themselves of their black leather jackets and hung them on the coat rungs behind the door as Elena continued to marvel. It wasn't until Klaus touched her arm that she felt the goosebumps of the cold settle against her skin, and she shivered.

"You might want to get out of those wet clothes before you catch pneumonia. You can get a tour of the house later," he began up the steps slowly as Rebekah headed toward the kitchen. "Come on, I'll show you to a room."

Elena followed behind Klaus up the stairs to the second floor. He led her down a corridor, and into a large, open room. The walls were made of glass, and was facing the backyard of the house. Elena couldn't see how vast the estate was, but she figured it was impressive based on what she could make out. She turned around and noticed some of the comfitures that the room was equipped with: A large bed, a couch, large flat screen tv on the wall, a computer desk with a iMac, and a large painting of Starry Night that hung above the bed.

"This is where you'll be staying for the time being. My room is directly down this corridor opposite the way we came," he spoke quietly. "My sister took the liberty to buy you a few things. She can't resist a chance to go shopping, no matter what the occasion."

Elena nodded silently, as her stomach growled slightly. Klaus smiled lightly. "Humans…feel free to go down to the kitchen and make yourself something to eat. I think Bekah might be down there cooking something right now as a matter of fact." He began to leave, but stopped before exiting. "And Elena, don't forget our little deal. You are to stay alive until this is all over. Don't get any drastic ideas, especially in my house. Understood?"

Elena swallowed dryly and nodded. "Where are you going?"

He narrowed his eyes before smirking at her. "What does it matter to you? Want to join me?"

Elena's brow furrowed in disgust. "I'll pass."

Klaus chuckled slightly before leaving the room, leaving Elena alone to release the breath she was holding.

* * *

><p>Rebekah was indeed cooking something, Elena soon discovered. The smell of bacon lured her to the kitchen as she watched Rebekah cook bacon, eggs, and pancakes all at once.<p>

"You have enough for the two of us?" Elena asked hopeful.

Rebekah giggled. "Of course I do, but what makes you think that I'd be willing to share anything with you, especially after our last encounter."

Elena smiled to herself slightly. What she did had been a bit harsh. "Would it make you feel better to know that I knew it wouldn't kill you permanently?"

Rebekah blurred over to Elena and shoved her against the refrigerator, letting her vampire visage "No it doesn't. Because the simple fact is that you tried to kill my brother, and you thought that I wasn't strong enough to go through with the plan," she growled. Elena narrowed her eyes at Rebekah, irritated that the shove would probably bruise her back by tomorrow. Rebekah stepped back, and returned to cooking, flipping the pancake before it burned. "You were right though, I would've caused the plan to derail. So thanks for leaving me out of it anyway."

Elena sighed and sat on the stool at the kitchen island as Rebekah brought over two plates of steaming food.

"Since I got the food, you can get the drinks." Rebekah ran a hand through the ends of her blonde hair. "I'll take AB-, heated up for 45 seconds."

Elena didn't let the comment bother her much, as she figured the fridge was probably stocked with bloodbags since they seemed to live so secluded away from town. As she opened the refrigerator door, she found she was right. Shuffling through a couple of bags, she found what Rebekah had requested, and grabbed a Coke for herself. She quickly heated up the bloodbag and handed it to the vampire, anxious to return to the food that awaited her.

"So…whats on the agenda for tomorrow?" Elena asked, hoping to get at least a bit of info about Klaus' plan.

"Tomorrow…we relax, shop, and do whatever the hell we want," she replied to Elena's surprise. "The witch whom Klaus needs is out collecting what all she needs to perform the spell. She won't be back for a few days."

Rebekah popped a piece of bacon into her mouth. Elena almost laughed at the domesticity of the entire situation before Rebekah continued. "You know, my brother and I have been coping with the permanent loss of our family pretty well, and we're in a good place now." Elena took a swig of her Coke. "I hope this little plan of his works, for your sake and for ours. So before you even consider ruining this, or going on some little rebellious kamikaze mission, don't."

Elena considered Rebekah's words carefully before replying. "All I want is for my brother and my friend to live as normal of a life as they possibly can at this point. If this is the last thing that needs to be done to ensure that, then so be it. Even if it means cooperating with Klaus. I don't care much about my own life anymore, so if the plan involves me dying, you can rest assure that I have no plans of escaping."

"On the contrary, Elena. The key to breaking the curse has nothing to do with your death, but everything to do with your life. You should know by now, nothing comes as easy as simply dying. Fate rarely gives out such gifts," Rebekah drank deeply from her bloodbag as Elena drank from her Coke, silently agreeing with her on that last point.

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><p>AN: Okay guys, finally got Chapter 4 up! Hope you guys are intrigued to read on and find out whats going to happen. I love seeing all of the subscriptions, since this is my first fanfic, but please review as well! xoxox


	5. Raves & Rage

_A/N: hi guys! Thanks for the reviews! They're really helpful and I'm trying to incorporate your suggestions, so keep em coming! This is somewhat of a filler chapter, but the next chapter will finally get to the crux of the matter. Hope you enjoy, and as always, feedback appreciated!_

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><p><em>The wind lightly tousled her straight, silk-like hair as she lay with Stefan in the middle of a vast green meadow, soaking in the sun. <em>

"_This is amazing Stefan, thank you for bringing me here today," she smiled warmly at him._

"_I'm glad to be here with you," he returned the smile and leaned over to press a soft kiss to her lips._

_Suddenly, there was a rustle in the brush. Stefan sat up and peered into the distance._

"_Whats wrong?" Elena questioned._

"_Nothing. Just, stay here and I'll go check it out," he pressed another quick kiss before standing up._

"_Stefan wait! Don't leave me!" Elena exclaimed, sitting up to grab his hand._

_He looked down at her with soft green eyes. "I'll never leave you Elena." He blurred off into the distance. After a few moments, Elena stood, and looked around. The sky was darkening, a storm was approaching._

"_Stefan?" she called out, heading in the direction of the brush. She approached slowly. "Stefan? This isn't funny!"_

_A black wolf leaped out of the brush and growled at her, threatening with gleaming white teeth. Elena turned to run, but was tackled from behind by the beast. She screamed and kicked, rolling over to catch a glimpse of the smiling monster before it went for her neck….._

Elena awoke with a startled scream. Chest heaving and brow sweating, she took a second to look around to get her bearings. That's right…she was in London, in the Devils Lair. The morning sun shined brightly through the glass walls, contrasting greatly against her dark mood as she wiped the remnants of sweat and tears off of her face.

'He'll never see me cry again….' She vowed and sniffled a bit, composing herself before she stood and headed to the bathroom. She looked in the mirror at herself, disgusted with the reflection she was seeing. "Pull yourself together," she willed herself, eyebrows set in a determined fashion. 'I'm not some weak little girl whose just going to be complacent this whole time for this bastard….' She turned and entered the stand-up shower.

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><p>Rebekah lounged beside the pool, sipping on a Mai Tai as a tanned pool boy tended to tidying up the area after last nights' storm. Klaus silently walked over to her and plopped in the chair beside her, exhaling heavily.<p>

"Oh Nik, why so broody this lovely morning?" Rebekah asked lazily, setting her fruity cocktail down beside her. Klaus huffed in response, making Rebekah inwardly smile. "It wouldn't have anything to do with having Charlotte's doppelganger in the guest bedroom, would it?" No response. She shook her head and waved at the pool boy. "Raul, would you be a dear and make my brother here a Blue Hurricane?"

"Yes, over course Ms. Rebekah," he said with a thick European accent, rushing off toward the kitchen.

"….Now, where were we?... Ah, yes. So Nik, I…" Rebekah was interrupted by a loud splashing noise, followed by being wetted by some of the residual splash. "Nik!"

Klaus looked at her carelessly and shrugged, flipping on his back to float atop the water. "Stop ruining the day with your incessant chit chat."

"Well how about you stop dampening the day with your dank, stale attitude," Rebekah retorted, turning around to see Elena approaching in the vibrant purple top and shorts she'd bought the day before. "Oh good, that top looks smashing on you. I may have to take it back for myself…."

"Is there any way we can go into town? I need to grab a couple of things," Elena stated dully.

Rebekah pulled a face. "What is up with you two and all this broodiness? Today is a rest and relaxation day and your moods are ruining it."

"Shut it Rebekah," Klaus snapped as Raul ran back to him, cocktail in hand.

Both Elena and Rebekah shot him an annoyed look. "Yes, I think getting out of this house and away from him would be an excellent idea," Rebekah said standing and rolling her eyes at her brother.

"Where are you two off to?" he questioned sternly, setting his drink on the side of the pool.

"Away from you," Elena grumbled, but loud enough for the two vampires to hear her. Klaus scowled while Rebekah smiled as the two girls turned to head back to the house.

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><p>Rebekah sped around the curves of the country roads in the convertible easily, letting blonde and brunette hair flow carelessly in the wind.<p>

"So, where are we off to?" Rebekah questioned.

"Anywhere but back there," Elena said throwing her hand out the side of the car, letting the wind flow through her fingers. "You said relax and shop. I wanna add drinking to that list as well."

Rebekah smirked and stepped on the gas. "That's the spirit!"

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><p>After a full day of shopping, running up credit cards and splurging in some of the best boutiques in town, they decided on eating at a small Greek café in the middle of London. Rebekah said that they had a killer Greek Chicken Salad and some of the tastiest men waiters. After their salads were done, they were working on their 3rd glass of wine.<p>

"So, do tell Elena, how does it feel to be in London?" Rebekah asked.

Elena took another gulp of the wine, enjoying her light buzz. "It's a beautiful city and I wish I was here under different circumstances. Don't get me wrong, we've had our differences in the past, but at least you didn't have an active hand in slaughtering the people I love."

"That's true. My brother can be a real prick," Rebekah laughed. Elena turned to her with narrowed eyes. "But that's Niklaus. He's impulsive, he loves hard but he hates harder. That's the nature of a vampire Elena, the werewolf gene just intensifies that aggression even further. So to a certain extent, I blame Mikael for most of what's happened, for turning us."

"I hate that murdering selfish bastard….and after everything he's done to you and your family, you don't hate him too?" Elena asked her straight.

Rebekah laughed once more. "Of course I hate him Elena. I probably hate him more than you do. But that doesn't change the fact that I still love him and that he's the only family I have left."

'There's nothing more important than family…' she remembered telling Damon once. Though she hated him deeply, she couldn't help but shake the feeling that he hated her just as much. With that thought, Elena downed the rest of her wine quickly and looked outside. The sky was turning dark, and the streets were becoming illuminated and bustling with nightlife.

"I don't want to go back yet," Elena declared, hopping off the bar stool. "Anywhere else we can go to put off the inevitable?"

Rebekah thought for a moment, then gave Elena a wicked smile. "The London club scenes are some of the best in the world."

* * *

><p>The girls had opted to get new, sexy outfits and their hair done for a night on the town. The air was thick and heavy with smoke and sweat as Elena and Rebekah entered the VIP section atop of the rave dance floor below. Strobe lights flickered and moved across the crowd, giving them a robotic and wild appearance. Elena gazed over the side of the balcony at the crowd, loving the erratic and intensity of it all. Rebekah put their jackets at a VIP table and picked up two vodka cranberries that a bartender had dropped for them, then joined alongside Elena.<p>

"Nothing like this in the US eh?" she questioned, handing Elena the drink and smiling seductively at a man who was walking up the stairs.

"Not at all," Elena replied, taking a rather large gulp of the drink. Rebekah was amused, but followed suit.

"Don't forget that you're human Elena, those drinks are gonna go straight to your head eventually," she giggled as Elena looked defiantly at her and finished off her drink. She closed her eyes and relished in the burn. She was loose, that was for sure. But that's exactly what she was going for. She was taken off guard when a man put a hand on her shoulder gently. Both she and Rebekah turned to see who the intruder was. A tall, pale skinned Adonis stood before them, striking blue eyes and almost white blonde hair looked at them curiously.

"Excuse me Miss, but what would your name be?" he spoke deeply and smoothly.

"Who wants to know?" Rebekah challenged seductively.

"Well, you see my brother and myself were acquainted with a Miss Katherine Pierce some time back," he signaled over to another man who looked strikingly similar to himself, except he had green eyes. "And we couldn't help but notice that you are almost the identical replica of her. But of course, she was a vampire like us, while you're…clearly human."

"We're related," Elena answered boldly, tipping her head to examine the man more fully. He didn't seem to be threatening in the least bit. On the contrary, he was gorgeous and seemed pretty lighthearted for the circumstances. "What's your name?"

"Adrian. And this is my older brother Julian," he introduced as the older brother took Rebekah's hand up to his mouth and placed a kiss on it. "Would you ladies mind if we joined you for a drink? An alcoholic one strictly, of course."

"Of course," Elena drawled out, taking hold of Adrian's hand and leading them to their table.

After a few more drinks, Elena was itching to get on the dance floor. The brothers led Elena and Rebekah out onto the dance floor, into the melee of grinding bodies, which they gladly joined. Elena felt herself being molded to the god-like vampire, their hips grinding to the beat in perfect sync. She reached up behind her and ran a hand up his neck and through his scruffy platinum hair as his lips trailed from her ear down to her neck, nipping lightly with his human teeth. The burn of arousal began to lick and ignite her insides as Elena turned to face him, her eyes focusing on his gorgeous face. But in her periphery….she caught sight of another blonde vampire god. No, a blonde _hybrid _killer. Klaus was standing on the balcony where she first stood at, peering down on the crowd. He locked eyes with her, and tipped his drink in acknowledgement. She glared at him, before feeling Rebekah put a hand on her shoulder.

"I see my brother found us after all," she shrugged.

"That's your brother?" Julian questioned in surprise. "Klaus, THE Klaus, is your brother?"

"Well I try to keep it under wraps, I'd appreciate if you didn't make a big deal of it," she snapped back at him.

"Could you introduce us to him?" Adrian asked slightly eager.

"I don't know if that's a good id…" "Don't be silly Elena!" Rebekah quickly interrupted Elena chirpily. "If they want to meet Niklaus that bad, then they shall!"

Elena looked at Rebekah with questioning eyes, but she simply shrugged and smiled, linking her arm with Elena's and leading the four up the stairs back to the VIP section, where Klaus sat at their table waiting.

"Well hello there little sister, meddling with the common folk as usual I see," he remarked, gaining an eyeroll from Rebekah.

"No need to be a snob Niklaus, these are our friends, Julian and Adrian," Rebekah introduced, smirking at the two vampires who seemed to be enthralled in the moment.

"Hm. And you Elena? You enjoying the company of these two as well?" Klaus questioned, setting his intimidating gaze upon her now. If he thought she was going to back down, he was sadly mistaken.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. Adrian and his brother are excellent company, wouldn't you agree Rebekah?" she said, looking squarely at Klaus and entwining her fingers with Adrian's.

"Oh yes, I um…agree," Rebekah couldn't stifle her laugh long enough to get the sentence out, as she could clearly see that Elena had gotten wise to Niklaus' smart remarks.

"It's a pleasure, sir," Adrian bowed a bit in respect, as his brother followed suit.

"I bet it is a pleasure. Meeting me, dancing here with my sister and my doppelganger and…"

"I belong to no one, especially not you," Elena interrupted quickly, red hot with a mixture of alcohol and anger. She turned to Adrian and kissed him fully on the lips. It took Adrian a sec to catch on, before he gave into Elena's demands. Rebekah snickered in disbelief, while Klaus merely watched on with a bored expression. After Elena pulled back, she turned to give Klaus a satisfied, defiant smile. He smiled back momentarily, before blurring over and grabbing Adrian by the throat.

"Leave, now. And if you so much as lay eyes on my sister or my doppelganger again, I want you to gouge your eyeballs out and feed them to your half-brained brother, is that understood?" he threatened low while compelling the vampire. He released the vampire, who quickly blurred out of the club with his brother in tow. Klaus looked down momentarily at Elena, who was staring daggers at him, then turned his glare to Rebekah. "Get to your car and get home, now."

Rebekah pouted, and bumped shoulders with her brother as she walked past him. "Come on Elena, let's go."

Elena shot Klaus one last dirty look before following Rebekah out of the club.

* * *

><p>"He always ruins everything!" Elena growled as Rebekah sped around the corners, heading back to the house.<p>

"I know! I wanted to have a little fun with those two tonight but noooo, he had to go off and compel them! Stupid bastard!" Rebekah shouted.

"And who is he to say that I belong to him, I belong to no one, especially not that son-of-a-bitch!"

"Hey, that bitch was my mother!"

"Oh," Elena laughed drunkenly as she realized the error. "Sorry about that!"

"No worries, she could be a bitch at times, though. Guess that's where Niklaus gets it from!" Rebekah threw her head back and laughed as they pulled up through the gates of the property and drove up to the house. Elena climbed out of the car and wobbled to her feet as she heard the distinct noise of rave music echoing from the house. Her and Rebekah gave each other a confused look.

"How the hell did he make it back before us…and what the hell is he doing?" Rebekah said aloud as she and Elena made their way inside the house, following the trail of the sounds. As they made their way into the kitchen, they saw a topless brunette run across the kitchen and out the back door towards the pool. Elena and Rebekah followed her and peered out the window to see that there were about 20 girls outside in the pool, music blasting, and Klaus sitting by the edge of the pool with 3 of them canoodling all over him. Rebekah wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Is this your idea of payback Niklaus? Not funny!" she raged, storming out the door while Elena watched.

"I'm just having a little fun is all sister! Lighten up, you had your fun at the rave tonight, and I brought some of the rave back home with me!"

"You could have at least brought back some men! Always so selfish! Now what are me and Elena to do!" she whined loudly over the music.

"You could always join you know! Though please Rebekah, keep your top on, I'd rather not see you in that light!"

Rebekah groaned loudly and returned inside the house, shutting the door behind her. Elena snickered a bit seeing the blonde vampire clearly annoyed with the house full of women.

"Im going to bed. You probably should to, as you look like you're about to fall over at any moment," Rebekah looked Elena up and down. She definitely looked like Katherine tonight, though Katherine would never be so wasted as Elena was at the moment.

"I am not…" Elena hiccupped. "I can wa..walk just fine!"

"Yeah, and break your neck going up the stairs," Rebekah took Elena by the arm and blurred her up to the guest room, and straight to the bathroom, where Elena proceeded to puke in the toilet. "Figured that would happen. Goodnight Elena." She said, amused by the brunette as she exited her room. Elena's throat was on fire as she heaved the remnants of the various vodkas and wines she'd consumed throughout the day.

"Uggh….I would've been fine had she not dragged me up here superspeed," Elena flushed the toilet and moaned, wiping her mouth and lying on the cold tile. The loud beat of the music helped her to fall into a black, dreamless state of sleep.

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><p>Elena woke up with a start as she realized she was still on the bathroom floor. She was still drunk, her head was pounding, and she could hear her heart beating in her ears as she stood up against the bathroom counter. She looked at her reflection, and smiled slightly at her resemblance to Katherine. She slunk out into the bedroom and looked out of the glass walls overlooking the pool. Some girls were passed out drunk on the lawn, but no sign of Klaus anywhere. She turned and got undressed, slipping on a white cotton t-shirt and a pair of socks.<p>

Elena quietly made her way down to the kitchen to get a glass of water. As she poured the water over the ice in her glass, she toyed with a dangerous idea in her mind…..She finished off the water, and headed over to the knife block beside the stove. She pulled out a couple of different ones, before settling on a long, sharp, carving knife. She glared up at the ceiling, praying that Klaus was in his room, before setting off back up the stairs. She creeped up the steps quietly, and reached the top of the second floor, padding as stealthily as she possibly could in her drunken state, down to his room. She came to a door, and hesitated momentarily, pressing an ear to listen for any signs of activity. When she found none, she twisted the knob carefully and entered the room. Sure enough, Klaus was in his bed, asleep on his side. She smiled dangerously and inhaled as she continued over to him, the drunken haze of hate and anger guiding her to follow through with this insanely stupid idea. As she stood over him, feeling powerful even as her heart attempted to jump out of her throat, she stopped to look at him. He lay shirtless on the top of his bed, apparently passed out from the festivities. His body was lean but muscular, well defined and graceful, and his face almost looked angelic as he slept.

Almost.

Elena inhaled sharply, and shoved the knife exactly where Damon had shown her ages ago. The knife sunk in to the hilt, as blood began to seep out of the wound and spill onto the pristine white sheets of the Devil's bed. Elena's mouth dropped open as she backed away about three steps, and she exhaled heavily, once, twice…he still had not stirred. He looked peaceful, still asleep, but dare she hope…dead? She inched closer to him…he wasn't breathing. Elena ran a hand through her hair nervously and turned her back to him.

"How the hell am I going to get out of this house without Rebekah noticing?" she whispered to herself, turning back around to look at him again. She was shocked to find that his body was no longer there. "Damnit!" she whispered and turned to take off running, before bouncing into the solid body of Klaus. She backed up quickly before her knees hit the back of his bed. He stood there, looking at her not with anger, but with intrigue.

"Surely you didn't think a carving knife would kill me?" he asked seriously as he pulled it out and tossed it to her feet.

"I…no," she growled, standing and glaring at him. "But I'd hoped it would hurt."

Klaus ran a hand gingerly over the now-healed wound, then blurred over to her, picking up the knife and pinning her on the bed with it against her neck.

"You want to see how it feels, Elena? You want to see if it hurts?" he ground out, a thin line of blood spilling from where he was pressing the knife into the soft skin of her neck. She simply glared up at him, and spit in his face.

"Kill me Klaus! I hate you! I fucking hate you!" she pressed her neck more fully against the blade as she began punching and flailing against his body, trying to inflict any kind of bodily harm against him at this point. He threw the knife to the side and gripped her flailing arms above her head, pressing himself hard against her as he leaned down roughly to capture her lips. Shocked, Elena bit into his lip as hard as she could. Klaus growled and ripped away from her, staring at the way his blood stained her lips ruby red and subsequently healed the fine cut on her jugular.

"Guess what love? I fucking hate you too," he growled malevolently in her ear even as she struggled to break free. "But we're doing this whether you like it or not at this point." He quickly lifted off of her and tossed her carelessly off of his bed. She scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could before fleeing his room. Klaus licked over his healing bottom lip, and frowned at the blood stains on his sheets.

"Damn that girl…"


	6. Cursed

_A/N: Alright guys, this chapter finally gets into some of the history as well as the key to breaking the curse. Hope it makes sense, because coming up with the mythology takes some work, so kudos to Julie and Kevin so far! A few of you have been wondering when the lemony parts were coming up, and after this chapter you'll get an idea of EXACTLY when thats coming. As always, thanks for the review and keep em coming! They're the most helpful bits that I could ask for 3_

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><p>The next couple of days went by without a hitch, even after Elena and Klaus' late night spat. Rebekah had woken Elena up the morning after everything had happened rather abruptly, praising Elena for the brazen move she'd pulled off. Elena had stated that she didn't quite know what had gotten into her or what prompted her to do it, but it felt damn good to be able to get some of the rage and anger she still held against Klaus out in a physical way.<p>

Following Bekah's suggestion, Elena decided to begin taking advantage of the downstairs gym in the house. Though not too many vampires would bother with Elena nowadays, it'd still be a good idea to always be prepared for anything that may come her way. Plus, it was a good way to blow off some steam and stress. As she padded down the stairway towards the gym, she began to hear the sound of skin and bone hitting something, and rattling chains. She continued down the stair until she entered the gym, pulling her hair up into a pony tail and discovering what the source of the noise was.

"I didn't realize vampires needed to workout," she spoke to Klaus, who was making small work of the punching bag. He punched the bag one final time before turning to look at her, wiping the small sheen that had gathered on his forehead.

"We may not need to workout, but it still feels good nonetheless," he exhaled, walking over to grab his bottle. "The witch is returning today, not sure if Rebekah told you or not."

Elena was taken aback slightly. "…She didn't." Was today the day that the curse would finally be lifted? What all would it entail? Would it be painful or painless? 'Painful I'm sure.' She settled upon to herself.

"Well maybe she didn't want to make you anxious, you know how you humans get when impending doom is near," Klaus chuckled, taking a swig of the blood-filled water bottle as Elena pulled a face. "What are you doing here Elena? Come to fight me again?"

Elena smiled inwardly; he almost seemed a bit of a spoil sport about the whole thing. "You know you deserved that and so much more," she stated bluntly, picking up a 5lb freeweight and curling her arm.

Klaus considered her momentarily before going to the corner and picking up a pair of small fighting gloves. "If you want to be a match for anybody or anything, you need to train with something living," He approached her seriously now. "You were training with Damon way back when, were you not? I'm sure his intention wasn't to let that go to waste."

Elena curled the weight and held it there, shooting him a look. "Well I wouldn't know what his intention would be, considering you killed him."

Klaus grinned and approached her, taking the weight and setting it down. "You need to toughen up and put more fight in that bark of yours if I'm to ever take you seriously," he took her hand and slipped one of the gloves on, wrapping her wrists. "You can be incessant and annoying at times, but I'll admit that you have one hell of a spirit," he began on the other hand and wrist. "My sister isn't much of a fighter, but I know you have it in you. And I myself enjoy a good fight now and again. Now," he finished wrapping the other wrist, and stepped back. "Hit me."

Elena stared at him blankly. What backward ass universe had she really landed in?

"Come on Elena, haven't got all day! Try and hit me. I'll even use regular ol' human speed," he teased.

She narrowed her eyes and cocked her head. "What game are you playing at?"

"No games. I'm being serious. Let's just say I miss having a pupil to train with. Tyler would have made one hell of a partner, but well…you know," he shrugged carelessly.

Elena charged at him and swung as hard as she could, hitting Klaus squarely in the jaw. His head snapped to the side, and he rubbed his jaw in surprise.

"You let me hit you," she huffed in reply putting her guard up.

"I know, I wanted to see just how hard you could hit. I'm a little impressed," he put up his guard. "Again."

'Fine, if he wants to be my own personal punching bag…' Elena swung a roundhouse kick at Klaus. He rebutted it easily, and she began an onslaught of punches and kicks in his direction. He blocked the easily, smiling to himself. Elena smirked and brought a knee up to his crotch, which he guarded using his two hands, but she caught him off guard by landing another punch square in his jaw while his guard was down. He stumbled back a bit, with Elena surprised that the maneuver had actually worked. Her chest heaved up and down as Klaus silently appraised her, but suddenly blurred in front of her.

Elena wasn't backing down or cowering. She knew Klaus liked to play little sadistic games, but nowadays she couldn't figure out what angle the vampire was coming from. She looked into his dark blue eyes, trying to decipher what was going on in his head. She knew this look. It was a look that she'd seen in Damon's eyes when they'd first met. That look of recognition; of looking at her and seeing someone else. Elena exhaled and asked the question that still hung between them. "Who was Charlotte Petrova?"

Something in Klaus' demeanor shifted as he turned his head slightly, then turned his back to her completely. Elena sighed as he began to walk away, but was surprised when he decided to answer her.

"Charlotte Petrova was the epitome of beauty. She was the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the village, and was sought by many of the village men, but she loved me," Klaus approached the punching bag, running a hand down it. "Mikael and her father both wanted her desperately to be Elijah. But Elijah was not interested as he knew how I felt about her…"

Elena began stripping off the gloves, tossing them to the ground. "You loved her?"

"With all of my soul. When I had a soul," he looked at her, before flicking his gaze to the ground.

"What happened to her?" Elena was almost dreading the answer.

"Mikael killed us, turned us to vampires," he growled angrily at the memory of his dead stepfather. "And then it was revealed that I was an 'abomination.' A hybrid. My mother, being the Original Witch, cursed me to keep my werewolf side dormant, to appease Mikael. So she made the curse dependent on Charlotte's blood, knowing that I would never drain the woman that I loved dry in order to become a full-fledged hybrid. But by placing the curse on Charlotte's blood she also cursed her entire bloodline, which resulted in a doppelganger of her appearing every so often to remind me of my curse and how I couldn't break it, figuring that I wouldn't harm anyone that was the exact replica of my love…" he looked to Elena and scowled. "She underestimated me, like she typically did." He punched the bag as hard as he could, causing it to snap off its chains and fly across the room. "I loved my mother. I did. But she abandoned me because her husband didn't approve. She cursed me, caused me pain, caused me to lose the love of my life and be subjected to the torment of Mikael. And in a fit of rage, I killed her."

Elena looked upon Klaus with an empathetic look. The creature that stood before he was not a psychopath who killed for no reason but for the simple joy of it. He'd been hurt and tortured mentally and emotionally by the one person he thought he could trust: his mother. Though his mother did what she thought was best for Klaus as well as Mikael, in the end it had done nothing but create a cycle of madness, one that seemed to cause Klaus just as much anguish as everyone else she'd come to know. 'No wonder he has trust issues and little regard for anyone else….' She thought to himself. Suddenly he reminded her of Katherine, of Damon, of Caroline, and everyone else who had issues with their parents and how deeply it had affected their personalities. Even though all of them had issues, they'd moved past them, given time. Even Klaus seemed less manic and a little more normal these days. Maybe Klaus just needed some time without being betrayed and hurt in order to heal. 'Maybe…' Elena brushed the thought quickly out of her head as she watched Klaus pick up his bottle and down the rest of it, then looked at her carelessly like he hadn't just spilled the whole bit of his tragic past to her.

"The witch just pulled up. Showtime."

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><p>Klaus and Elena ascended the stairs and entered the living room area to find Rebekah sitting and laughing and speaking in a foreign language with a middle aged looking woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. The woman stood and smiled, walking over to Klaus and giving him a welcoming hug and kiss on the cheek. Klaus pulled back and Elena could see a genuine smile as he addressed the woman. She ruffled his hair, muttering a phrase which had both Klaus and Rebekah laughing. Elena couldn't help but catch some of the contagion and smile herself, when the woman turned to look at her.<p>

"Well now, Katherine didn't much resemble Charlotte, but this one surely does!" she placed her hands on her hips, circling around Elena and examining her like a specimen. Elena nervously tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Hi, my name is…"

"Elena Gilbert. Or Petrova, that's more technically correct. I've heard all about you," she stopped in front of Elena and looked at her with a small smile.

"Elena, this is my witch…"

"Oh Niklaus I do wish you'd stop calling me that," she glowered at him. "Actually I'm more than just his witch, dear. I'm his cousin, and my name is Aleksandra."

Elena was once again, thrown for a loop. "What? But, how is that possible?"

"Esther wasn't the only witch of the family. She had a brother, who was a warlock, and who was my father. Esther was my aunt. And before you go asking me a few obvious questions, I'll say that no I'm not vampire, yes I am very old, and let's just say I've learned a few tricks of my own to slow the aging process drastically, obviously," she answered Elena, who was still a bit confused.

"Don't worry my dear, now everyone let's sit down and discuss this curse business. That's what we're all here for," Aleksandra sat down and opened a large black grimoire that sat on the coffee table between them all. Elena found herself sitting between Klaus and Rebekah, looking tentatively at the witch.

"It took me a while to dig through all the grimoires to find this one, my father's, but I think you will be pleased with the results. He always hated Mikael and how he controlled your mother, especially when it came to you Niklaus." Aleksandra stated, continuing to flip through the pages. Klaus all but snorted, as Rebekah reached behind Elena's head to swat the back of his. "When your uncle found out about the curse that Esther placed on you, he immediately began devising a loophole."

"He always was more of a father to me than anything else, even though visits were few and far between," he remarked quietly.

"Well, you know, we lacked planes trains and automobiles during those times," Aleksandra chuckled. "Ah, here we are. Now, the timing of this is going to have to be almost flawless, as I can only perform this spell once. My father was an extremely powerful warlock, but this spell takes immense power and unless you want a dead aunt, you're going to have to make it count."

"I understand," he spoke clearly as Elena looked between him and the witch.

"I have all the ingredients ready for the potion so we could actually do it today. Are you okay with that Elena?" Aleksandra questioned.

"What? Wait a minute, I don't even know what all this thing entails, and…"

"You didn't tell her Niklaus?" Aleksandra looked at him accusingly.

"I wanted to tell her but he swore me to secrecy," Rebekah retorted.

"I thought it'd be better if she heard it from you, Aunt," he narrowed his eyes at the witch as she shook her head. "Besides, had I'd told her anytime before now she'd probably run off and…"

"Wait just a damn minute!" Elena stood up now, fed up with being in the dark. The three blondes looked at her as she looked down at all of them, confused and bewildered. "Just what does breaking this curse involve?"

"In order to break the curse, the blood of the Petrova must mix with that of the cursed one," Aleksandra stated. Elena looked down at her in anger.

"Well then prick my damned finger and mix it with his!" she argued frantically, knowing somewhere in the back of her mind that that's not the type of mixing they were talking about. 'This isn't real…I know they're not suggesting what I think they're suggesting.' Elena was all but hyperventilating now as Klaus stood, looking at her sternly.

"It means that our blood must mix and produce an heir. A child," he spoke roughly and firmly.

The color drained out of Elena's face as she looked up into his. There was no joking in his voice. He was serious. She looked at the faces of the two females that sat around her, and they obviously weren't joking either. So Elena did the only thing she could think to do. She pushed past Klaus and ran straight out the front door. Rebekah stood and began to go after her, but Klaus held up a hand to stop her. He watched as she ran down the driveway towards the front gates.

"Let her go for now. She won't get far."


	7. Broken

A/N: thanks for all of the subscriptions and reviews as always! Im glad most of you guys are receptive to this idea I've been toying with, it may seem a little twisted but I couldn't shake it lol. Re-reading this last chapter made me realize that I made a few typos and errors, one being that I switched Aleksandra from being a cousin to an aunt. My bad! She's def. is a cousin, but that's the thing with creating new characters lol you try to think of what way to incorporate them, and somewhere along the way you get confused yourself! Hahaha ill try to be a more careful proofreader next time. This is a slightly shorter chapter, but one thats needed in order to flow into what I have planned for the next one ;-) Well, on with the show…

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><p>"Well, that's not what I was expecting to walk into…you really screwed up this time Niklaus," Aleksandra rubbed her temples in anguish as she sat further back into her seat. Klaus was pacing slowly around the room with his eyes closed, while Rebekah remained standing with a faint look of remorse as she gazed out the door which Elena had taken off out of.<p>

"Well, what are you going to do?" Aleksandra questioned irritably.

"Yes Niklaus, what is your plan at this point? Had you at least given her some time to acclimate to the idea…" Rebekah looked at him, miffed.

"I wish you'd both shut up and stop questioning me…" Klaus growled low, stopping his pacing to glare at the two women.

"Don't get an attitude with me! I wanted to tell her! I told you to tell her!" Rebekah was pacing the floors now, running a hand through her hair before turning her glare to her brother. "But no, my loyalties always lying with you, and you screw up yet again…."

Klaus blurred over to Rebekah and got right into her face.

"I said, shut up," he threatened menacingly. Rebekah wasted no time slapping him across the face as hard as she could, actually causing him to stumble back. Both of the siblings faces shifted into evil as Klaus leaped onto Rebekah, knocking her to the ground and towering above her.

"Enough! I've had it with this childishness!" Aleksandra roared, standing now. "Do you plan on going after her Niklaus?"

"Yes Klaus, do you plan on dragging her back here and raping her to get what you want?" Rebekah spat at him.

"I'll do it whether she's willing or not!" he roared back, eyes gleaming dangerously gold. Rebekah shoved him off of her and stood up, tears running down her face now as Klaus regained his composure.

"You fucking monster! You're just like Mikael!" she took off out the door.

Klaus was breathing erratically, once again pacing the floor as Aleksandra looked at him. What a sight. Two of the most powerful creatures in the world tussling on the floor like 3-year-olds. She approached him tentatively and reached out to grab his arm gently. "Niklaus, listen…"

He snatched his arm away from her, rubbing his hands through his hair. "Why should I give a damn what happens to her! Because she's Charlotte's doppelganger! Because my sister likes her! She's the sole reason why all this mess is the way it is! It's because she exists, because those idiots she called friends wouldn't give her up in the first place, now they're all dead and so are my family!" He took out his rage on an unsuspecting vase, throwing it at the wall.

"She didn't asked to be born like this and neither did you, Niklaus. You two have more in common than you think. Born into a curse, losing the ones you love. You both have hurt each other and caused each other pain. But there's nothing left now. Nothing left to do but to move on and stop this cycle while you have the chance. Look at me," she once again stopped him, and grabbed his face in the palms of her hands. "This is not what my father would have wanted for you. You've done a lot of damage, caused a lot of pain to someone who never deserved it, but was cursed with it anyway. Now it's time to end it. I've seen you do better. You can be better if you let yourself."

He took a moment to look at her with open eyes, but then smiled sadly and shook his head, pulling her hands away from his face slowly. "…no. Im not better than this. This is exactly what I am. The monster in the dark. The 'abomination', always was and always will be." He turned away from her slowly walking towards the front door.

"Then by all means, continue to prove Mikael right. Keep being that pathetic impulsive child that he'd beaten down for so many years. Keep feeling sorry for yourself. I was willing to help you, but I won't be here to witness you destroy yourself anymore Niklaus," Aleksandra spoke with a finality that made Klaus stop and turn to look at her fully, then continued out the front door.

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><p>Elena found herself balled up under a bridge beside a river as dusk began to settle. Her feet throbbed, her head ached, and she was muddy and bruised from slipping and falling multiple times on her journey to…wherever the hell she'd made her way to. She stared dully over her knees and toward the water, watching as the fireflies began to flicker and the crickets began to chirp their night songs.<p>

'I don't know why I'm so surprised that this is how it'd end up….what did I expect? That'd it'd be as easy as death, or getting turned into a vampire…' she swallowed dryly, pushing her knotted locks back from her face as she crawled over to the edge of the river. She dipped her hands in deep and cupped some water up to her chapped lips. She opened her eyes slowly to see the reflection of the hybrid standing behind her, and turned abruptly to face him, backing into the water waist deep to distance herself from him. He looked at her tiredly, before sitting down in the grass next to the river, plucking up a long weed and twirling it between his fingers.

"I wouldn't back up much more than that…it gets pretty deep," he stated, focusing more on the weed than on her.

Elena looked down into the water she was mucking up with her shuffling feet. "I'm starting to think death is my best option at this point."

"And what happened to all that determination and resolve to save your brother and his lover?" he continued speaking to the weed, watching the way the wind picked up and pulled it in its direction.

Elena winced. She started this whole thing by agreeing in order to save them. Did it make her selfish that all she wanted to do was save herself at this point, even if she wasn't much to be saved?

"I…I…" Elena stuttered, speechless and ashamed that she couldn't answer him. He looked up at her, letting the wind have its way with the weed to carry it away.

"It's okay to say you don't want to, that you want to preserve yourself…." He started, and she looked up at him now. "I've taken a lot away from you, Elena. I give you my word, no harm will come to your brother or the witch regardless of what you choose to do…but…"

He stood slowly, walking to the edge of the water and stepping in until it reached his ankles. "This curse was placed on your bloodline. If you ever hope to have a normal life, a human future…to actually own your face, and not have to be just another doppelganger that's a part of this cruel joke, then this is a way to end it."

Elena looked at him, wary of his words. He was looking at her, actually looking AT her, with a look of pure honesty and desperation. He could be lying, deceiving her into trusting him before dragging her back to his quarters like a slave and having his way with her regardless. But there was one thing that she knew the Original valued almost more than anything, it was trust. And honesty. Besides…everything he'd just said had been completely true. No matter what the future was to hold for her, she'd decided that she'd make a way to survive for her brother. He couldn't lose her, too. And if she was to attempt to have a normal, human life….how could she, knowing that she wouldn't be the last one wearing her face and carrying this Petrova curse? To free herself meant to free him. There was no way around it. The question now was, did she care more about revenge against him than freeing herself?

Elena stood there for a minute more, staring at the hybrid. He closed his eyes and exhaled, turning away from her. "I can arrange a flight for you tomorrow." As he began to walk up the hill, he heard the sloshing of water as Elena made her way out of the river and back onto the bank. He turned, and watched her as she sat down once more, signaling him to come over with a head gesture. He walked slowly over and sat in front of her, crossing his legs in an Indian-Style fashion like she had. She plucked a weed from the ground and twirled it, her eyes glistening slightly as she contemplated her next words.

"When this is all over…I never want to see or hear from you again. I want you to compel me to forget it all, compel me to forget this time in London, this…arrangement. I don't want to remember any of it. I simply want to remember that I hate you, and that you are gone from our lives for good," she looked up from the weed and into his steely blue eyes.

Klaus took the weed from her and looked straight into her. "If that's what you wish."

"It is," Elena answered with no hesitation. "Now give me your word."

He looked at her, and couldn't help but smirk. "You have my word, Elena."

She exhaled heavily in relief, then shivered slightly as another brisk breeze went by. Klaus stood and took off his jacket, handing it down to her.

"No, I'm okay," she stood up, brushing her behind off and walking past him, up the hill.

He rushed up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, securing the jacket around her small frame.

"Trust me, you're going to want it at the speed we'll be going," he whispered hotly in her ear, sending hot chills up her spine before whisking them both away back to his home.


	8. In the Pale Light of Dawn

Elena sat in the garden tub, soaking her sore and scraped limbs in a hot bubble bath. Surprisingly, this was the most she'd felt at peace since she'd begun this journey. Everything around her was quiet, still. The house wasn't usually exceptionally noisy or hectic, but at the moment she was the only occupant. As she had made herself something to eat for dinner, Klaus had grumbled about the blood bags and had gone out to feed on something a little more…lively, Rebekah was still missing in action, and Aleksandra had also made a disappearing act at some point. Though she wasn't quite sure what had transpired after she fled from the house, she figured it couldn't have been good, if the broken vase, missing women and Klaus's seemingly reformed attitude was any indication. But, she thanked the world for small miracles at this point.

The dark cloud of not knowing how to break the curse no longer loomed over her head, and though she was not looking forward to what it would involve, she also felt a sense of relief wash over her now that it was out in the open. But the biggest sense of relief was given to her by Klaus himself. As she began working up a soapy lather in her hair, she began to ponder what exactly had made the hybrid decide not to threaten the lives of her brother and Bonnie anymore. After all, it was his initial bargaining chip.

Deciding not to ruin her moment of quiet solace, she pushed all of the thoughts and questions out of her mind and submerged completely under the water, relishing in its liquid warmth…before she felt the presence of someone standing over her. Startled, she flailed a bit before coming back up to the surface, coughing and sputtering the water she'd taken in and looking up to discover Klaus looking amusedly down at her.

"What the hell are you doing?" she questioned hastily, gathering up what all bubbles were left to cover herself up.

"Oh Elena why bother covering up what I've already seen?" he asked, tickled by her failing attempt to salvage her modesty with the bubbles.

"You've never seen me nak.." she snapped back, but was silenced by the knowing look he shot her. That's right…he had saved her once before, when she was bleeding out in a tub, no less.

As if he read her mind, he chuckled and patted her on the head before adding, "Not to mention, I've seen both Charlotte and Katerina."

Elena swatted his hand away and glowered up at him, sinking further into the water. 'Jackass…' she thought, blowing out little angry bubbles that rose to the surface.

"I came up here to offer you a little…assistance," he grinned, causing Elena to raise her brows in alarm. "But not the kind you are thinking of. Honestly Elena, what kind of man do you take me for?"

'The murdering, bipolar kind…' Elena rolled her eyes, but looked at him questioningly as he pushed up the sleeve of his shirt.

"You took a couple of nasty falls on your little outing earlier, and I can smell a couple of the wounds. Taking a little bit of my blood would…"

"I'll pass, thanks," Elena interrupted, wrinkling her nose as the proposition. Did he really think after everything that she'd been through, being bitten and stabbed and tossed around like a rag doll by vampires, witches and werewolves, she couldn't take a couple of scrapes from concrete and twigs?

"On the contrary, you're going to be sore come the morn, and I need you to be in better condition for tomorrow," he spoke bluntly, causing Elena's eyes to widen. Is that when they would have to do…it? She huffed slightly, sitting up and edging over to the side of the tub. He smiled and stooped to her level, biting into his wrist and offering it to her. She took it gently in her hands, hovering over the bite momentarily before placing her lips to the wound. She let her tongue run experimentally over the wound, and was surprised that his blood was actually….savory. A mixture of a thick, rich taste with a slight sweetness to it. And when she took her first deep pull, she felt the warm tingle flowing down her throat and heating her insides. Klaus let his eyes close and head fall back slightly as she took two more gulps, then pulled his wrist gently away as the wound began to knit itself back together. He let his gaze drop to her, admiring her blood stained lips and strong, thrumming heartbeat as her eyes fluttered open slowly.

"Elena…" he breathed out quietly, before clearing his throat and standing. "You, love, would make one hell of a vampire, and an even more exquisite hybrid."

She didn't know whether it was his blood or his comment that seemed to have such a strong effect on her, but she suddenly found herself blushing hotly as he turned to exit the bathroom.

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><p>Elena felt the covers pull back and the bed dip slightly, and opened her bleary eyes to look at the time. It was 3:00 in the morning. After a few more moments of not feeling any other movement, she decided to roll over and see what was going on. To her surprise and relief, it was Rebekah. She was staring up at the ceiling fan, looking exhausted and worn, but still beautiful as ever. Elena yawned, and looked at Rebekah with a sleepy and questioning look.<p>

"I see my brother was able to get you back here." she spoke quietly.

Elena nodded her head and sighed.

Rebekah nodded, and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry for not telling you before. I know it was a shock, and I hope that he wasn't too brutal with you."

Elena snuggled into the covers a bit more. "He wasn't brutal at all. Actually he was…" she trailed off, unable to verbalize quite what the hybrid was or had done.

Rebekah smiled, and turned to look at Elena. "He didn't always used to be such a prick. Well, not as big of one as he has been for the past couple of centuries. He's changing…. And I'm starting to think that you have something to do with it." Elena woke up a little more at Rebekah's comment. "And it's not just because you look like Charlotte or Katerina…I think he admires you, because for all that has been done to you, you still haven't broken or given up your humanity. But don't tell him I told you that."

Elena looked down at the covers, picking absently at a piece of lint, before looking back up at Rebekah, who was now looking at Elena with the same steely blue eyes that her brother had. "He doesn't deserve it…but I think you're going to end up saving my brother whether you or him want it to happen or not. And I want to thank you for that."

Elena could always see that Klaus and Rebekah had a strong and loving relationship deep down, regardless of everything. She couldn't help but try to put herself in Rebekah's place, and imagine if Jeremy was someone like Klaus. Regardless of what he'd done, she wouldn't be able to stop loving him or wanting better for him. Elena nodded in silent understanding, watching as the vampire rolled onto her back again and shut her eyes. She yawned again, and followed suit, letting sleep take over her tired mind.

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><p>Klaus was woken up with a start as his phone buzzed and rang incessantly on his nightstand. Not many people had his number. Whoever was dumb enough to call him repeatedly at 7 in the morning clearly should not have direct access to him. Though he may not need sleep, like many other things in life, he still enjoyed getting a full night's rest when he could. Groaning, he snatched the phone from the stand and put it to his ear.<p>

"This had better be important…" he growled sleepy and low to the caller.

"Whoa, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed huh?" Aleksandra spoke chirpily, causing Klaus to flop back onto his pillow.

"Where are you?" he rumbled. "And why didn't you stay here last night?"

"Because you were acting like a brat yesterday….and I figured that my words may have more of an impact if I made a dramatic exit like you did. I'm back home now though," she giggled slightly. He found no humor in her comment whatsoever. "Anyway, I was calling to let you know that I left the potion on the side of the refrigerator. All you have to do is add a few drops of your blood to it, drink it, and you'll be all set to make your Petrova baby. But it only lasts for 3 days, so you'd better make it count Niklaus."

"I was wondering what that bloody smell was coming from the fridge," he rubbed his eyes and cleared his throat, sitting up in the bed. "What all is in it?"

"Your favorites. Wolfsbane & vervain," he could almost hear the smile in Aleksandra's voice as he got out the bed and walked down to the kitchen, opening up the refrigerator and taking the bottle out. "I had to attend to a few things back here but I'll be back in a few days to see if it worked."

He took a whiff at the bottle and nearly gaged at the smell, frowning at the way it burned at his nose. Yeah, this was going to be a breeze to ingest.

"Alright, I'll see you then," he hung up and placed his phone on the counter, walking over to the chopping block and pulling out a knife. He slid the edge against his fingertip, and let a few drops combine with the liquid. It burned and sizzled just hitting the potion, and he once again felt nauseated as the smell hit him again. He closed his eyes and exhaled, picking up the flask.

"Bottoms up," he muttered weakly before tossing the concoction back into his mouth. He swallowed before beginning a violent fit of coughing, doubling over and hitting the floor as his insides turned to a bubbling pit of lava. He groaned and picked himself up off the floor, pulling himself to the sink and drinking straight out the tap, willing the damned stuff to stay down and settle the fire in his belly. After a few moments, the pain began to ebb away very slowly, but not before his phone began blaring loudly once again. He snatched it from the counter, now in an even worst mood than he'd woken up in.

"What!" he all but howled in the phone.

"Bad timing?" a smooth male voice chuckled. Klaus stood up, trying to compose himself before going on.

"You have no idea," he ground out, spitting the residual liquid into the sink. "What is it that you want Zack?"

"Well I was calling to invite you and your lovely sister to a banquet that I'm holding at the my new hotel…"

"Really not a good time Zack, I have some prior…engagements to attend to tonight," Klaus spoke, heading back up the stairs.

"Understandable, though I really think you and Rebekah would enjoy tonight. A lot of our old friends are coming into town for it. It would be like old times," Zack reminisced. "And of course, you'd be put up in two of the finest suites we have." Klaus smirked slightly. Zack, though not an Original, was a very old and powerful vampire who had an old aristocratic soul that Klaus found familiar. They'd become friends a long while back, and while Zack had his own various women, he never missed an opportunity to try to court his sister. "Plus some of my sources say they saw you in one of the local clubs the other night, and I hear that Katerina's back in town. She always did know how to liven up a party…"

"Katerina's dead and has been for a while now," Klaus snapped. "Who your men saw was not Katerina, but rather her doppelganger."

"Doppelganger? You mean to tell me you actually found her after all this time?" Zack sounded shocked.

"Yes…its old news my friend, a lot has happened since the last time we spoke. Nevertheless, if I do decide to come then she will be coming along as well."

"I see…well if she's as beautiful as Katerina was, I look forward to becoming more acquainted with her." Zack declared.

'I'm sure you would you old weasel…' Klaus thought as he continued making his way upstairs, his stomach turned again slightly. "Alright, I'll see you tonight then."

"I look forward to it Niklaus," Zack stated before Klaus hung the phone up. As Klaus made it to the top of the 2nd floor steps, he looked down towards Elena's room. He could sense that not only was she was sleeping soundly in the room, but so was his sister.

"Girls…probably fell asleep painting toenails and French braiding their hair…" he muttered, letting his feet carry him in the direction of the room. He stepped into the room, finding the sight of Elena and Rebekah sleeping in the same bed rather adorable. He noticed that there was a large enough space in between the both of them to where he could easily squeeze in…

'What the hell,' Klaus shrugged, padding silently over to the end of the bed and easing himself between the two girls without waking them. He glanced over to Rebekah first. He rarely took the time to look in on his little sister while she slept, but it made him smile seeing how she still slept with the same complacent little smile on her face as she did when she was a little girl. He then turned his gaze to Elena. She too looked unworried and content, and the way the sun hit her wavy brown locks turning some of them to a rich golden color made her look even more angelic than she usually did. When he'd first met her, everything about the girl was meticulously groomed and proper-every hair on her head was bone straight, every look and emotion was controlled and repressed. Seeing her like this, ruffled and natural, made him once again admire she could pull off beauty amidst despair. She stirred and shivered slightly, scooting closer to his warmth. Klaus lifted his arm and allowed her to nestle her head against his chest and rest her hand on his belly. He smiled to himself, knowing that if only she knew whose arms she was curling up into, she'd jump up in alarm. But for the moment, in the pale light of dawn, he'd silently indulge himself with the company of his baby sister and his doppelganger.

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><p><strong>AN: Ended on a surprisingly quiet note. I know. Im evil. Even ME MYSELF AND I was looking forward to seeing some Elena/Klaus action this chapter! But as I got to writing, I realized that the next chapter and this chapter would both read so much better if they were broken up. Plus it wouldnt be such a long read. So I had to do it lol. Its 2:30 am, & Im about a third of the way done with the next chapter. I have some great ideas for it that i think we all will enjoy, or so I hope ;-) I cant wait to get em down on paper, but for now, I'll post this and head to bed like a good girl so I can make it to university in the morn. As always, all reviews are appreciated! Until tomorrow, xoxo**


	9. Touch

Elena had woken up in strange situations before, but this one by far topped them all. As she began to awaken slowly, she noticed that she was being watched by Rebekah, who wore a lop-sided smile as she hugged the pillow even tighter to her cheek. But more importantly, she found that she was resting her head against a certain bare-chested hybrid, with said hybrid's arm tossed casually around her. Elena blinked, finally realizing the odd position she was in, and sat up quickly. Rebekah snickered as Klaus made a face and woke up as well.

"Well aren't you two just a sight. Seriously Klaus, I'd forgotten what a snugly bastard you were…" she mused, which earned her a dirty look from Elena and a growl from Klaus, who rolled over toward Elena and shut his eyes tightly.

"You were so much more fun when you were sleeping," he grumbled as Elena covertly shifted herself as far away from Klaus as she could without falling off the bed.

"What's got your knickers in a twist brother? You looked so comfy a moment ago," she teased, lightly pushing Klaus unknowingly closer to Elena, who once again shifted uncomfortably.

"That damned potion did a number on me this morning," he opened his eyes to find Elena looking down at him curiously.

"You…you drank it this morning? But I thought Aleksandra…"

"She made it and left it whilst I was looking for you yesterday," he interrupted Elena, running a hand briskly through his hair and sitting up with a look of displeasure. "It was a mixture of wolfsbane and vervain. I've never smelled nor tasted something more putrid in my entire existence." He shuddered at the thought of the potion. Aleksandra was right. Surely this was a one time thing because curse or no curse, he'd never consume that concoction again. He'd not felt this sick since he was a human boy ages ago. Elena couldn't help but find herself pleased at seeing his suffering. At least he had to suffer some discomfort to get what he wanted as well.

"So how does it work?" Elena questioned softly, cocking her head to see if the potion had caused any subtle differences about him. He looked the same and sounded the same…

"No clue really, but we have 3 days to get it done. By the way, we've been invited to a banquet tonight that Zack is hosting," he said, sighing into the pillow. Elena saw that Rebekah's eyes lit up slightly as she slid out of the bed, shooting Elena a sly look.

"Well then, I'll leave you two to it," she winked and blurred out the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Elena froze up and could almost feel the hairs standing on the back of her neck as she looked down at Klaus, who now had his entire attention focused on her. She gulped nervously as he shifted slightly to allow her more room on the bed, and sat up to assess her. She looked like a blushing deer caught in the sight of a hunter's scope. 'This could be interesting…' he thought, smiling to himself and giving her a sensual look, which only caused her blush to deepen.

"I suppose my sister's right. Might as well get this over with so we can enjoy the night," he sat up and casually stretched his arms, rolling his neck and crawling beneath the covers to where Elena sat rigidly.

"Um…okay," her voice trembled slightly as Klaus watched her scoot over closer to him to lie back down under the covers. He observed her with a comical expression as she lie there, still as stone except for her slightly heaving chest, eyes shut tight and fists balled up, gripping the sheets.

He shook his head and had to hold back a laugh. "So, how would _you _like to go about this, hm?"

"Just do it quickly and get it over with," she gritted out. "You don't have to touch me either."

At this, Klaus couldn't help but let out a bark of laughter. "You don't want me to touch you, eh?" he shifted quickly over top of her, and snickered at the way she flinched as he lowered himself down upon her. He took a deep whiff of her neck, and drew back. "You're aroused, that's good. Even if it is from fear," his hot breath tickled her ear and he pressed his clothed length against her panties, sending chills over her entire body.

"Just put it in," she growled, frustrated with his apparent mockery of her uncomfortable state.

"'Put it in' she says," he chuckles again, and uses one hand to pull down his sweatpants to release himself from the confines of cotton. She has to will herself to stay put on the bed as he carefully sweeps her underwear to the side, and she notices that he actually is attempting to fulfill her wishes of not wanting to be touched. She then feels the tip of his hardened member nudge against her dampened heat, and gasps when he barely pushes it to slide only slightly between her womanly folds. But just as soon as she'd felt the sensation of him slide at her entrance, it was gone. She cracked open one eye to investigate, to find him leaning back on his legs, with his sweatpants securely back up on his waist and a smug look on his face.

"Why'd you stop?" she asked, hot and angry at this point.

"Did you really think that I was just going to comply and take you right here and right now, without even _touching _you?" Elena's eyes opened wide as got out of the bed, walking over to the window with a slight swagger in his step. "If there's two things that I take seriously in this world Elena, its killing and pleasuring a woman." He casually walks to the bedroom door takes a moment to turn back around and look at her earnestly. "By the time I'm done with you love, you'll be begging me to touch you."

Elena looked at him flabbergasted. 'The nerve of this son of a….'

"Get dressed, we're going out into the city to find you something presentable to wear for the night," he announced, closing the door as he exited.

* * *

><p>Klaus had settled on the couch of the Armani store, sipping on a glass of champagne. He looked at his suit, which lay beside him, already purchased and ready to go, and wondered what the hell was taking the two females so long to try on a few dresses.<p>

"Don't you two still have to go and get hair and makeup done?" he groaned irritably, gulping down the rest of the champagne and signaling for a refill.

"Yes," they both called out. He rolled his eyes, and handed his glass off to the brunette champagne girl as she refilled it to the rim. He turned to her, and let his eyes catch hers. "Be a dear and leave the rest of the bottle with me, as I'm going to need it to bear another 5 minutes sitting in this chair WAITING ON THESE DAMNED WOMEN," he raised his voice so they were sure to hear him.

"Oh come off it Nik!" Rebekah yelled and exited the dressing room as the woman skirted away. "Well, how does this one look?"

"Fine, just like the other 10 you tried on!"

"It was 4," she jeered at him, and examined herself in the mirror, puckering her lips and twisting around in the striking blue dress. "I'll take this one. Elena come out so you can see this!"

Elena exited the dressing room a moment after Rebekah called to her, attempting to zip up the back of her dress. Klaus' eyes lit up as she turned around and let Rebekah zip her up. The deep blood red dress hugged her every petite curve perfectly.

"Wow Elena that dress is stunning!" Rebekah commented and twirled her around. "What do you think Nik?"

"It's magnificent. You're definitely wearing that one," he wasted no time in answering. Elena looked to him and nodded in appreciation as the two women retreated back into the dressing rooms to get dressed. Klaus ran his tongue over his aching gums, his fangs itching to come out and ravage Elena.

'Damn that girl for getting me riled up….' He growled silently before waving to a blonde sales associate to come.

"Yes Mr. Niklaus?" she said eagerly.

"Put the suit and the two dresses on my tab. And tell the champagne girl to meet me in the men's room," he stood and headed towards the back of the store. If he was going to make it through the next few hours, he was going to need something a little stronger than Moet.

* * *

><p>After getting makeup and hair done up in exquisite, curly designs, the girls and Klaus made their way back to the house to get dressed. Elena and Rebekah were putting on their final touches in the mirror, when Elena leaned back and exhaled.<p>

"Are you nervous?" Rebekah questioned, applying a thin layer of peach colored lip gloss onto her lips.

"Kinda. I've never been to a vampire banquet before," Elena took the lip gloss from Rebekah and began applying some on herself.

"No worries, you won't be the only human there if that's what you're worried about," Rebekah smoothed a stray hair back. "Besides, my brother won't be letting anything happen to you for sure."

"I'm a little more worried about what your brother plans to do to me than anyone else…" Elena trailed off quietly, looking down at the sink. Rebekah wrinkled her nose slightly and lightly smoothed one of the curls that fell in Elena's face. "I mean…this may be awkward for you to hear, but the last person I was…with was Stefan. And this was long _before _he went Ripper."

Rebekah opened her eyes in surprise. "You mean, you never hooked up with Damon? You've not been intimate with anyone else for about a year now!"

"Shhh! I don't want him to know that!" Elena whispered vigorously. Rebekah laughed and shook her head, fixing one of Elena's drooping curls in the back.

"I've never seen my brother in action, but I've definitely heard things…."

This sparked Elena's interest immediately. "Like what?"

"I wouldn't worry too much Elena. Remember, it's just business," she smiled in the mirror with a sly glint in her eye.

Klaus knocked lightly on the door and entered as the girls exited the bathroom. "Ladies," he addressed in a smooth deep voice.

"Well don't you clean up nice," Rebekah appraised, giving her brother a once-over. Elena silently did the same herself, recognizing how debonair he looked in the white Armani suit.

"Well then, are we ready to go?" he looked at Elena haughtily. "The limo awaits."

* * *

><p>The limo arrived at a large, elegant hotel right at 9:00 on the dot. Klaus was the first to exit the limo as paparazzi buzzed around, flashing pictures of the large-scale event. He helped Rebekah out of the limo, followed by a hesitant Elena, who was shocked by all of the publicity the event was receiving. Rebekah entwined her arm with her brothers, and Klaus put his arm out for Elena to do the same.<p>

"Appearances are everything in this town," he explained as she took his arm, and allowed him to lead them into the doors. The guards bowed their heads graciously as the trio entered, and Elena took a moment to marvel at the classy inside of the hotel. She couldn't help but wonder exactly who this Zack person was to be gaining such publicity. They entered a banquet room, which was filled with elegant men and women, white clothed tables and eloquent floral centerpieces. This was nothing like the small-town events held in Mystic Falls, that was for sure.

Someone called out to Klaus and Elena turned, seeing a tall, strongly built, dark haired man approaching them. Klaus untwined his arms with the two ladies and gave the man a stern hug in greeting, speaking in a language that she'd never heard Klaus speak before.

"And I see you have two of the most beautiful ladies on your arm tonight," he remarked, looking at Elena warmly.

"This is Elena, Elena this is an old friend of mine, Zack," Klaus introduced as Zack took Elena's hand in his.

"μια χαρά, Έλενα," he spoke smoothly, kissing the back of her hand with chilled lips.

"Zack is Greek, and he never wastes a chance to impress a newcomer with his language," Klaus rolled his eyes in amusement as Elena giggled, charmed by the suave vampire.

"Yes, but when we exist on this Earth as long as we have my friend, we know almost all languages," he joked, patting Klaus on the shoulder.

"Eh hem," Rebekah cleared her throat, gaining the attention of the two men. Zack gave her a sexy look as he approached her and took her into his arms, giving her a gentle hug and then pulling back to kiss her on the cheek, but slightly closer to her lips. "I was wondering when you were going to pay me attention."

"How could I not, with you looking stunning as usual and outshining everyone else," he complimented her softly, running a hand over her cheekbone affectionately. "Come now, let's sit and eat." He led them over to a table in which was already set up with a delicious slew of food and drinks.

* * *

><p>Dinner went by quickly, and Elena found that though she was surrounded by a good deal of vampires as well as humans, everyone seemed to be on their best behavior. She looked around at the various attendees, admiring the array of dresses and adornments, and suddenly a question came to mind.<p>

"Excuse me, but I have a quick question that may seem silly, but…" the three vampires turned their attention to her. "Are these humans…compelled to be here?"

Klaus smiled and looked to Zack. "She hasn't been here for very long."

"My dear, vampires have been here in Europe just as long as humans have. They're more commonplace than anything, though no one makes a big deal out of it. So no, these humans are here of their own accord. Well, they've been invited by myself and my business associates of course, some of whom are human as well," Elena was surprised by this, but it somewhat made sense as she thought about it. Mystic Falls was a small little town in the middle of nowhere, but surely in the larger cities, more people would know about their existence.

"Shall we go into the ballroom for a dance?" Zack offered, and Rebekah immediately smiled wide.

"I thought you'd never ask," she replied seductively. Everyone began cleaning their hands up, before a small voice broke into the scene.

"Daddy!" a small girl in a cream dress accented with tiny red roses called out, bounding toward Zack and pulling at his pant leg once she reached him. Elena was once again thrown for a loop as the Greek man picked the girl up and sat her in his lap and smoothed a hand over her dark head of curls. 'Did she just say Daddy?' Elena looked to Rebekah, who only smiled warmly at the young one.

"Don't be rude, say hi to our guests Chiara," Zack reprimanded as the child turned to smile brightly at them. "Hi Uncle Nik, hi Auntie Bekah!" she stopped to look at Elena just as curiously as Elena was looking at her. "I don't know you, but you're really pretty!"

Elena smiled at the child as Zack shook his head. "Her name's Elena, Chiara. Why aren't you with the other kids back in the nursery?"

She slid out of her father's grasp and toddled toward Klaus, raising her arms to be picked up. Elena watched as the hybrid happily obliged. "They're boring. Besides, I wanted to see what you were doing daddy," she hugged Klaus tightly and pulled back, patting his cheek and pouting. "You didn't come to my birthday party Uncle Nik!"

Niklaus smiled at the girl and patted her fat cheek softly. "I was away in the US taking care of business. I promise you I'll make it up to you," he spoke to her amiably. She smiled in satisfaction, then trailed over to Rebekah, who scooped her up happily to toss her about it the air. Elena looked to Klaus, then to Zack.

"Your…daughter?" she asked cautiously.

"Yes, she's my adopted daughter whom I took in after her mother passed away when she was just an infant," Zack explained, watching Rebekah entertain the girl. Elena was still not convinced.

"You took in an orphan human. For what reason?"

"Do we need a reason for all that we do?" he questioned. "You forget that we were once humans too, my dear. As we get older, and the thrill of the hunt dies down, you find yourself wanting the things that you can't attain, the things that you can no longer have as being an immortal. I may not be able to have my own child, but that shouldn't stop me from loving another who needs a parent."

Elena looked to Klaus, who had a content look on his face watching his sister and the girl, turned his gaze to meet hers. She exhaled softly as he spoke, "A child is the one thing that we as immortals cannot attain. Many of us have no interest in them, however like Zack here…" he gave his friend a warm smile. "He's a little more in tuned with his old human nature."

"And don't let my brother fool you Elena," Rebekah sat the child down, who took off running back to the nursery. "He's a sucker for children as well."

"Yeah, well, so are you," Klaus teased lightly.

"And what will you do when she gets older?" Elena questioned Zack again. He laughed at her interest in the matter.

"I've never lied to my daughter, just as soon as she was able to understand that she was different from myself I explained it to her. But she'll be free to do as she pleases, whether that's to live her life as a human or become a vampire." Elena nodded in semi-understanding as Zack stood, offering his hand to Rebekah.

"How about that dance?"

* * *

><p>Klaus had taken Elena's hand and pulled her up from the table, insisting that she had to dance at least once while they were there or it'd be considered rude. As they reached the dance floor where other couples were paired off and dancing, Klaus pulled Elena in close and put her arms around his neck as his hand went to her hips. She gasped a bit, surprised at his boldness, but didn't say anything.<p>

"Relax," he whispered in her ear, rocking her gently to the sway of the music. She didn't know if it was the champagne going to her head or him compelling her in some strange way, but she found herself swooning slightly as he pulled her even closer against him, letting his hands rest on the small of her back. She did as she was told for once, and let herself be completely led by him.

"Are you enjoying the evening?" he questioned softly, rubbing small soothing circles on her back.

"A lot more than I thought I would," she admitted, resting her head against his shoulder. "Zack's a very charming man."

Klaus smiled against her ear. "Complete with child and all. The girls always find that attractive about him, even you it seems."

Elena smiled against his shoulder. "It was surprising, to say the least. I mean, you'd never think that a vampire would make a good parent."

"I can only imagine what you must think about a hybrid being a parent," he chuckled, dipping his lips to press against her neck, causing her pulse to increase. "And you Elena? What kind of parent do you think you'd be?"

She paused. "I…haven't given it much thought…" she said in almost a whisper. Was it really something that she should even worry about, though? The plan involved her birthing the kid, not parenting it. "It...It doesn't matter really though. I mean, you're going to compel me to forget about it all, so it'll be as if it never happened."

He pulled back to look at her momentarily, before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You look tired."

"I am, to be honest," she closed her eyes, unable to shake the feeling of content of being rocked by his strong arms on the dance floor. He pulled away, and took her hand, leading her out of the ballroom and to the elevators.

* * *

><p>The suite was lavish and exquisite as Elena had expected. Klaus had let her into the room and stated that he was going back downstairs to the bar for a nightcap with the men. After taking down her hair and letting the loose curls fall down her back, Elena looked out the window and marveled at the view. She could see Big Ben just as the clock struck midnight, and suddenly her thoughts wandered to her own brother. She wondered what time it was over there, what he and Bonnie were doing these days. It seemed as if she'd been away from home for longer than just a couple of weeks….<p>

She was so deep in thought that she didn't hear the door creak open, didn't hear the soft footsteps of the predator that was stalking her in the darkness. But as he wrapped an arm around her middle and pressed a soft, open kiss to her neck, she didn't jump or startle in fear. She knew his hands, his touch, his scent; and she knew that though he'd left her to be alone for a short while, that he was coming back to finish what he'd teased at that morning.

Klaus ran a hand down her back sensually before slowly unzipping the back of her dress, sliding the straps off of her shoulders gently as he placed kisses where they'd previously lain on her body. He slid the dress down the curve of her hips, and turned her around to face him. The bright moonlight played wonderful tricks on her skin as she stood before him, looking down at the floor somewhat bashfully. He approached her then, and took her chin in his grasp to meet her gaze.

"You've nothing to be ashamed of, you're beautiful," he spoke as he shrugged his jacket off and tossed it carelessly to the floor. She watched as he loosened his tie and began unbuttoning his shirt meticulously slow. She couldn't help but let her eyes wander over his well-defined chest as the shirt fell open, and he shrugged out of it slowly as well. She'd never admit it, but he was sinfully sexy, built like a Roman warrior, stealthy and deadly. He blurred them over to the large bed, and watched as she seemed to assume the same defensive position as she had in the morning.

'Well that simply won't do…' he thought, before pulling back the covers. "Get in ," he spoke assertively.

Elena did as she was told, and slipped under the sheets, shivering at the coolness against her bare skin. Klaus unbuttoned his pants and climbed in beside her, taking her fists in his hands and rolling her to her side so that she lie molded to him, her back pressed firmly against his front.

"Relax," he demanded low and, holding her in place with one hand, placed the other hand ontop of hers and guided it up to her breast.

"What are you…"

"Shhhhh….you said you didn't want me to touch you, remember?" he reminded her as her began guiding her hand over her breast, making her do his will with her hands.

Elena tried to fight off the warmth that was pooling low in her abdomen, but she couldn't seem to fight off how aroused he was making her. She gasped as he made her tweek and pull at the hardened nipple, then guided her hand to give the other one the same amount of attention as its twin. He breathed hotly against her neck as she fought to retain some sense of control, but was once again hit with a wave of hot excitement as he guided her hand down her belly, caressing the spot over her womb, before going down further….

"Klaus, I…." she struggled against him but he easily overpowered her, holding her tighter and pushing her hand over her lace panties, pressing her fingers to stimulate her sensitive bud. She gasped and exhaled, pushing back against him and subsequently grinding against his now hardened member. He nipped at her neck as she mewled in pleasure, making her fingers move more vigorously against herself.

"Ahhh…."she moaned out, feeling the heat begin to uncoil, readying for release. Just as she was about to climax, he stopped all movement and pulled his hand away.

She was breathing erratically, and turned to look over her shoulder at him in bewilderment. In between her breaths, she managed to get a few mangled words out. "Why'd you stop?"

"Do you want me to touch you Elena?" he looked at her lustfully, nipping at her back with his dull human teeth.

Elena bottomed out. She forgot pride, forgot fear, forgot everything else. All she knew was that she wanted him to touch her, and she wanted it now.

She grabbed his hand and pushed it back down to where he'd left off, and from there she was in heaven. He pulled her panties down her legs and tossed them to the side, forcing her to lie on her back as he slipped a digit into her wet folds and took a small, pebbled nipple into his mouth, sucking on it hard. Elena cried out as he bit at her tender breast, and added another digit into her, pumping his fingers skillfully in and out of her heat. He kissed a trail up to her neck and curled his fingers deep within her, hitting that magical spot.

"Oh God! Oh…..!" Elena saw white hot stars as she climaxed hard, screaming and grabbing a fistful of his hair.

Klaus wasted no time in pulling his fingers out of her, and pulling off his boxers, climbing over top of Elena and positioning himself at her entrance. She was trying to reel herself back in, but as she opened her eyes to meet his cobalt ones, she was breathless as she felt the burning, stretching sensation as he buried himself in her to the hilt.

Klaus let out a light groan as he was fully sheathed within her, and tossed his head back as he withdrew himself almost completely before slamming inside her once again. He reveled in the way Elena cried out his name and grasped at his shoulders, digging her nails into his skin, which did nothing but spur him on even further.

"More," Elena begged, arching her back and wrapping her legs around his waist as he continued his assault on her body. He gripped her ass and lifted her up slightly, before driving into her harshly, hitting her walls and making her scream out in pleasure.

"Elena….ugghh…" he couldn't even suppress his own groans. The girl felt too damn good, wrapped around his body like the finest of silk. He could feel her begin to tighten around him, and knew that she was close to her second climax. He reached down and played with the sensitive bundle of nerves, willing her to come for him.

"Klaus….im about to…." She exhaled heavily, unable to get the sentence out.

"I know love…let go," he growled intimately. "Come for me," he gave a few extra solid thrusts as she screamed, gripping him as she climaxed hard. Klaus couldn't hold out any longer as he groaned loudly and spilled his hot seed deep within her.

Klaus let himself stay within her a few moments longer before pulling himself out of the warmth and lying beside her, watching her as she caught her breathe. Once the haze of passion began to clear away, she felt the waves of hot tears begin to gather in her eyes. Klaus drew her into his arms and placed a solid kiss on the crown of her head, letting her weep silently until she fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.

* * *

><p>AN: Okay guys, that one was a doozy! Much longer than I'd anticipated, but I hope that it was worth it lol. Def looking forward to feedback on this one, since this was my first lemon attempt, so if you could please review this one in particular i'd very much appreciate it! xoxoxo


	10. Small Pleasures

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the wait! School has been crazy, finals and papers uggh. But, its a necessary evil -_- Well, here's Chapter 10, hope you enjoy :)

* * *

><p>He enjoyed indulging in the small pleasures of his immortal existence. Sure, extravagant lifestyles and over-the-top luxuries suited him just fine as well—but there was something about the little things that put him at ease. For instance: holding Elena-the precious being that he'd hunted down for so long- and listening to her heartbeat had quickly become one of his favorite little pleasures.<p>

He wasn't asleep; he hadn't been for a while now. And yet he dared not move, afraid to break the warm, silent slumber that she'd slipped into. So he settled for pulling her a little closer, resting his head atop of hers protectively and vaguely reminisced when he'd had the pleasure of such small stolen moments such as these with Charlotte during his human life. Rarely did they ever get a moment alone, away from the constant hovering of her father. But when they could, they'd divulge their secrets, their hopes, desires, fears…

Klaus' eyes opened as he heard the distinct sound of heavy footsteps approaching the room. He silently growled to himself, knowing that the moment that whomever knocked on the door, his morning of peace would be broken.

Sure enough, as the rapping of the door sounded on cue, Elena shifted in his arms and opened her puffy eyes. She looked up to Klaus, who offered her a lazy smile.

"How are you feeling?" he questioned, ignoring the second round of knocking.

She rubbed her eyes and winced slightly, holding her head in her hands. "Sore…and my head is killing me…"

"Well that's what happens when you cry yourself to sleep," he reprimanded as she sunk below the covers, tentatively covering her head.

"Are you going to get that?" she mumbled.

"Yes, and I plan on killing whomever is on the other side of that door," he grumbled, getting out of bed and striding over to the door. He swung it open to reveal Zack, who was now wide eyed at Klaus' lack of clothing.

"What?" Klaus demanded. "You seem to have a knack for waking me, and I know you can hear well enough to know that I was sleeping."

"Um, yes. But the guys are downstairs and they were looking forward to your presence at breakfast since you had…taken off so early last night," Zack turned his gaze away from the hybrid, who huffed in disapproval.

"I'll be down momentarily," he replied, shutting the door in Zack's face before turning to glance over his shoulder toward the bed, noticing that Elena was now sitting up and gazing at him. He smirked, and she promptly averted her gaze, flopping back down onto the bed. Klaus blurred back under the covers, startling her a bit as he settled his hand on her hip lightly.

"I saw you peeping," he teased, running his hand over her hip and over her buttock. He was rewarded with the feel of her skin goosebumping underneath his fingertips.

"Aren't you going down for breakfast?" she inquired shakily, fighting the urge to nuzzle in his warmth.

"Would you rather me stay here and ravage your body some more?" he tested, gaining a pointed look from Elena. He smirked and licked his lips. "You know you would."

"Not even," Elena rolled over and turned her back to Klaus. "I'm sure last night got the job done. Plus I'm…sore."

"Well we can't be too sure now can we?" he pressed himself closer to her as he inhaled her scent. He dipped a finger between her legs and felt her gasp as it slid between her hot, swollen womanhood. "Hm. Looks like you aren't lying about being sore."

Elena elbowed him in the chest roughly and made a b-line for the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind her. Klaus rubbed his chest and smiled, shaking his head before gathering his clothes.

* * *

><p>Klaus entered the banquet room to find the group of vampires awaiting him expectantly. He took a seat beside Zack as the other men greeted him respectfully. They carried on their previous conversation about the whore houses of various countries while Klaus regarded them carefully.<p>

On his immediate right were twin brothers from Russia, Viktor & Aleksy. There were two females- a blonde from Wales named Siophan and a French mademoiselle named Nicole. There was a large, burly German vampire who sported a scarred face named Axel, and finally there was an older vampire from Bulgaria, who looked to be in his forties, named Ivan. Klaus had not seen the group together for some time now, since before his initial journey to America in search of Elena. He knew that they were anxious to see how his plight had ended, and he also knew that Ivan, specifically, had a particular interest in the possibility of gaining his own hybrids from Klaus. As Klaus predicted, it was he who brought the issue up first.

"So Niklaus, you're still alive and well. And from the smell of it, a hybrid," Ivan joked, earning a slight scowl from Klaus.

"But nonetheless handsome, even moreso in my opinion," Nicole smiled warmly at Klaus. "It's good to have you back, Nik."

"Yes because I'm sure you all missed my presence so very much," Klaus stated with false enthusiasm, and the group laughed lightly. "So, what's been new with you all? It has been a while since I've been surrounded by friendlys."

"Well, of course you know Zack opened up this gorgeous new hotel," Nicole gave Zack a delighted look. "I, of course, have been working on various fashion projects back in Paris…"

"Im sure Bekah will be thrilled at that," Klaus snickered.

"And the twins have been working the club scenes here as usual. Siophan fell in love with a human, and…"

"Way to put it Nicole," Siophan shoved the other vampire slightly as she giggled.

"Human eh? Come now Siophan, surely you don't expect much to come from that, now do you?" Klaus questioned.

"He's great Nik, I think you'd actually get along with him. He's very trustworthy, he wants me to turn him but I'm afraid I'm having too much fun with him as a human for that just yet," she admitted.

"Well I suggest you turn him so he'll have a fighting chance against Aleksy, you know he's still in love with you," Klaus joked as he nudged Aleksy with an elbow, who grimaced uncomfortably.

"And what of you Axel? Still working the high-end whore houses?"

"You know me Nik, that's what I live for," the man chuckled deeply.

"And then there's you," Klaus turned his attention to Ivan. "Still awaiting me to deliver a slew of hybrids to your doorstep?"

"Well that's always a hope of mine Niklaus, but one that I don't count on soon," he smirked. "But I see that you did manage to free yourself from that pesky curse, so I gather that you finally managed to track down and kill the doppelganger?"

"Not exactly," he shrugged. But he didn't miss the way Ivan's eyes lit up slightly, and he turned to see both Rebekah and Elena approaching the table.

"Nik, how rude of you to leave both Elena and I upstairs starving," Rebekah pouted as she pulled up two chairs for her and Elena to sit.

"Lovely as always, Rebekah," Viktor bowed his head at her, making her smile in approval and subsequently making Zack glower.

"And you must be the lovely doppelganger," Ivan interjected, looking at Elena intently. She tucked her hair behind her ear nervously. "You truly are a sight, almost as beautiful as Katerina was."

"You would know, wouldn't you Ivan? Considering she toyed with you like every other man and turned you," Klaus narrowed his eyes at Ivan, shifting slightly closer to Elena.

"Yes, my dear Katerina, such a free spirit…that is, until you condemned her, of course," Ivan spoke levelly, but Elena could see his eyes betrayed his calm exterior.

"She crossed me far before your time; you'd be wise to remember that," Klaus snapped.

"Okay, well, we came down for some breakfast," Rebekah interrupted, patting her brother on the back and picking up his glass of blood, taking a sip. "Oh, O-. My favorite!"

"Any chance of there being any real food?" Elena asked Zack, who simply smiled at her.

"Of course darling, you can call up room service and order whatever you'd like," Zack replied, placing a hand on Klaus' tense shoulder.

"So the doppelganger lives, and is still human no less. How'd you manage to get around that Niklaus?" Ivan pushed onward. "Is she yours, then? I can smell your scent all over her, but I'd be willing to pay any price to share…"

Klaus rushed over to the opposite side of the table where Ivan sat and grabbed him by the throat, hoisting him from the floor.

"I've had enough of your mouth for the next century, _boy. _Just because you are a descendant of Aleksandra does not mean I won't hesitate to end you. You're so interested in what a hybrid can do, then let me be the first to show you," Klaus' face shifted as his fangs slid out. Ivan flinched as Klaus neared his neck.

"Klaus stop," Elena spoke lightly, surprising everyone as she stood. Klaus glanced at her and his golden eyes softened back to the steely blues. "Let's just go home, I don't feel so well."

Klaus glared at Ivan once more before tossing him to the ground and walking past Elena angrily, out of the doors. Elena rubbed her temple lightly and exhaled as Rebekah stood to leave as well.

"Wait, _you're _Nik's new woman?" Nicole asked incredulously, eyeing Elena.

"And she's human! See! Told you I wouldn't be the only one!" Siophan cheered as Aleksy rolled his eyes and Viktor snickered. Ivan stood to brush himself off and eyed Elena as she and Rebekah took off to follow Klaus.

"I don't know why you continue to push your luck with him, always running that damned mouth of yours," Zack snapped as Ivan took his seat again.

"You know what weres are capable of," Axel took a moment to run a hand over his scarred face. "And he's an original. So I can only imagine what he can do."

"I'm perfectly aware that he could kill me as easily as snapping a twig in two," Ivan sighed. "I was moreso interested in striking a deal in getting a few hybrids, but…"

"Obviously that plan has gone out the window. Honestly, you let the idea of Katerina affect you still to this day," Nicole rolled her eyes.

"Well she was my maker and I loved her," Ivan snapped in defense.

"I wouldn't dare make try to make a move on that human, though," Nicole looked at the door, wrinkling her nose in slight disgust. "He seems to care for her in some way."

"And how do you figure that?" Ivan grumbled.

"Because had she not interrupted, you'd be dead right now," Zack shot him a look that shut him up for good.

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><p>Elena picked at her omelet with the fork as Klaus watched her intently from the other side of the kitchen isle. Elena put the fork down with an audibly clank, and then lifted the cup of orange juice up to her mouth to drink it. As she finished, she peered over the cup's rim to find that the hybrid's eyes had not left her yet. She all but slammed the cup down onto the counter.<p>

"Look, I said I was sorry. Next time I won't intervene when you're about to kill someone," Elena sharply spoke. Klaus blinked nonchalantly as he stood from his spot and began to circle around to her side.

"I'm looking to see if I can notice any changes in you, you know, to see if I succeeded last night," he narrowed his eyes, looking her up and down as if she was a specimen.

Elena huffed in annoyed. "I don't feel any different Klaus, just a headache still."

"Well then go upstairs to bed, and take some Tylenol," he suggested. "We'll have another go at it tonight."

Elena glared at him. "How can you speak of this so plainly!"

"It's just sex Elena. Nothing more and nothing less," he shrugged.

"Oh right, I'd forgotten that you've had the other two, what's a third copy to add to the list?" she retorted.

Klaus frowned and stopped his analysis of her. "For your information, I never had sex with neither Charlotte nor Katerina."

"Why should I believe you…" Elena rolled her eyes and stood up from the isle, heading towards the stairs. Klaus blurred in front of her quickly.

"Is that what this little attitude is about? You think that you're the third one of 'you' that I've slept with?" he demanded, grabbing her arm. She ripped out of his grasp.

"That has absolutely nothing to do with it. I just hate having to be the sex object of a dog!"

Klaus raised his brows. "Funny, because last time I checked, you were screaming this dog's name out in pleasure last night."

Elena couldn't take any more of his smug attitude. She knew it wasn't the brightest idea before she even did it, but at this point, the headache combined with her aching body screamed at her to do something. So, she raised her hand and slapped him with as much force as her tiny body could exert. His head snapped to the side slightly, and his eyes flashed dangerously gold before he clenched his teeth and grabbed her by her wrist, dragging her up the stairs. Elena kicked and screamed out, pulling against him, though her effortlessly staved off her fit of rage. As they made it to the second level, he began pulling her down the hall towards his room, and all of the kicks and screams in the world would do nothing as he dragged her into his room and threw her on the bed. Elena reared up, gaining balance on his bed as she stood, and grabbed the closest object in her reach-the remote.

"Put the remote down Elena," he growled, edging near the bed. Elena eyed him as he got closer and closer, never letting her back to him, and he suddenly stopped, causing Elena to hurdle the remote as hard as she could at him. He easily caught it, and smiled dangerously as she hopped off the bed and made a sprint for the door. He caught her by the waist and once again tossed her onto the bed, pinning her down underneath him.

"Let me go Klaus, let me go!" she screamed and kicked, and suddenly bit into the skin of his forearm that was holding her arms above her head. Klaus winced as her dull teeth sunk into his skin, drawing blood, and as she pulled her head away his eyes shifted.

"Oh so you wanna bite, is that it?" he growled and smiled down at her sardonically, and just as swiftly bit into her neck. Elena continued to struggle, but her will to fight drained with every mouthful of blood he took, until she found herself with an arm looped around his neck and panting softly. Klaus withdrew his fangs and bit into his wrist, forcing it to her mouth. Well, not necessarily forcing it, as Elena sucked greedily from the wound, letting the sweet warmth heal her. As his blood began to take effect in her system, she suddenly found that her headache and body aches were gone, and instead was replaced by the carnal need to have him within her again. As she pulled back, Klaus dipped his head down to suck his blood from her bottom lip, as Elena began to fumble with the buttons of his shirt. He pushed her hands away from his shirt, and sat up, ripping it off and causing the tiny buttons of the delicate Armani shirt to scatter about the room.

Elena panted as he quickly stripped her of everything she wore and flipped her on belly. She reddened as she could feel him sit back on his legs and admire her figure, and ran a hand down her back and over the curve of her round buttock, humming in pleasure. She felt him get off the bed, heard the sound of a zipper and pants piling onto the floor, and then felt his warm body hover over hers again as he lifted her up onto all fours. He brushed her hair over her shoulder and nipped lightly, before roughly thrusting himself into her.

Elena felt the breath being physically shoved out of her as he pushed into her with such force without warning. She couldn't decide if she wanted to scream in pain or in pleasure as he pulled out and slammed into her again. She could only manage to barely gasp out his name.

"Kl..Klaus."

"What's that Elena? I can't hear you," he pulled out and once again pushed into her with all his might, reveling in her raspy gasp. 'I'll show her who the damn dog is...'

"Ahhh…." She gasped and tried to scoot up as he thrust into her as to not take the full brunt of his punishment.

"No you don't, you're not going anywhere," he pushed her down so only her ass was in the air, and he held her in place firmly as he drove himself into her repeatedly, setting her nerves on fire.

"Oh my God…..Ahh!" she screamed as he angled himself slightly different to hit her deepest wall.

"Say my name Elena," he rasped out, feeling himself nearing the edge as her already swollen heat began to grip him tighter with every dive he took into her. "Say it!"

"Kla…Klaus," she cried out, digging her nails into his one hand that gripped the pillow beside her head.

"Uggh you feel so damn good…" he stopped pulling out and instead kept pressing himself in as deep as he could go. He sat back on his legs and pulled her up with him so that her back was against his chest and he could grind deeply into her wetness. She looped an arm around the back of his head and pulled at the hair on the nape of his neck as he entwined one hand with hers, the other reaching down to play with her sensitive bud.

"Ohh yess…right there," she grinded on him even harder, feeling herself near the edge as he picked the pace up with his fingers.

"Elena…"he groaned and kissed her neck, gripping her fingers tightly in his as he felt himself come in her.

Elena felt the searing heat of him fill her and she suddenly reached her climax, arching her back and crying out his name as she trembled against him. He slowly eased her forward until she was once again lying on her belly, and pushed himself softly into her a couple of extra times before pulling out and lying beside her, listening as her quickened pulse begin to slow.

She hugged his pillow and cracked her eyes open slightly to see him looking at her through half-open lids. 'That one must have worn him out, too…' she thought, satisfied that he seemed as placated as she felt. She tried to get up, but he shook his head and placed his hand on her back to gently push her back down.

"Stay," he said wearily, and closed his eyes.

Elena watched him as his breathing slowed and he drifted off into sleep. She found herself unable to fight against the exhaustion that had settled over them in the wake of their tumultuous joining, and let her eyes shut slowly.

* * *

><p>Elena was awoken to the feel of feathery fingertips running up and down her body. She opened her eyes to see Klaus looking at her, rubbing over her skin so gently that she almost didn't know if he was touching her or not. He met her eyes ruefully, and bent his head to rest on her bosom as he continued his quiet touches of her body. It took several more minutes before he spoke.<p>

"I got a little out of control earlier. It wasn't my intention." He stated solemnly.

Elena looked down at him confused. "I'm fine," she sat up and he looked at her critically. "What's wrong?"

He brought a hand up to her cheek and cradled it gently, running his thumb softly over her bottom lip. "Nothing…I had a dream. Or a nightmare, I suppose."

"About?" she inquired softly.

"It's…it's not important."

'Yes it is, or you wouldn't be so shaken up,' she thought, but thought better than to say it. "Okay. What time is it?" she asked him.

"About 8:30," he replied quietly, gazing off into nothingness. Her brows knitted in concern as she took the hand that was stroking her cheek into hers. "Klaus?" No reply. "Klaus?"

He suddenly looked at her, and then smiled slightly. "Do you realize that though we've been intimate, I've yet to kiss you properly?"

Elena was taken aback slightly, but nodded her head silently in agreement. He lifted his hand to pet the side of her hair softly, and looked out the window of his room.

Elena couldn't help but think of his words. It was true-they had yet to share a proper kiss. But given the situation, would it be too intimate? She looked at his lips-full, pink, soft, and hot. Against her neck, her body, they felt wonderful. But against her lips…

She brushed off everything telling her no and began to lean in towards him, and kissed his cheek softly. He turned, focusing on her as her lips pressed lightly, experimentally, against his. She lingered for a moment, but pulled back as she didn't feel him responding. She only got to pull back momentarily, for Klaus placed his hands on either side of her face and began to slowly massage her lips with his. Elena was right-his lips felt wonderful on her body, but they felt like heaven as they pressed skillfully against her lips. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth, granting him access to the forbidden cavern that was her. They began a quiet battle with one another as Elena felt him push her down gently and hover over her now. He trailed soft kisses from her lips to her neck, and further down still, rolling his tongue over her twin peaks and down to her belly button. Elena sighed in contentment as he placed peppered kisses over her belly and hips, and ran her hand over his head gently. But then he began to venture further down, and Elena stiffened.

"Klaus…Klaus, wait," she called down to him as he pulled her thighs up.

"Shhhhh….you'll enjoy this, trust me," he whispered, softly placing kisses starting at her inner knee and down her thigh.

"But Klaus," she moaned as he kissed the apex of her thigh, then a kiss right over her bud, making her shiver. He smiled against her skin as he began to lap at her, causing her to lift up off the bed slightly.

As he was continuing to pleasure her, Elena's head was spinning in all different directions. 'What is he doing to me…why am I letting him do these things to me…he feels so good, he makes me feel so good…'

Her thoughts were cut short as Klaus clamped down on her bud with his lips and sucked vigorously, causing her to moan and twist her hips in delight. She took hold of his head in her hands and gently pulled him up to move up her body. He made his way back up to her, his lips hovering over hers, before she spoke lustfully.

"I want you in me."

Klaus licked his lips and positioned himself at her now dripping core, and smoothly pushed himself into her. She lifted up to capture his lips, and tasting herself on him was making her even more aroused than she already was. He pressed into her gingerly, exploring each and every curve and crevice of her, memorizing which spot made her make the most noise, which spot made her clench around him the strongest. They joined together in a slow, sensual rhythm, both of their breathes mingling soft and heavy, before Elena pushed at his chest for him to get up. He sat up slightly, questioning her, before she motioned for him to lie on his back. Klaus smiled pleasantly surprised as Elena crawled over top of him, and, placing a kiss to his neck just as he had done her, lowered herself onto his throbbing member.

Klaus closed his eyes and let his head sink heavily into the pillow as he gripped her hips and she rode him, slowly and steady at first, but then eventually the pace became erratic and hot as they both felt for their release. Elena laid forward onto his chest, letting Klaus pump up into her rapidly as she felt herself coming for him, gasping his name out. As she came so too did he, deeply pushing everything he had into her, holding her close as they both trembled with the aftershocks of passion. After the high began to fade, and Klaus pulled himself from inside of her, Elena found that she didn't feel like crying. Instead, she found herself content to lie on top of him, immersed in his warm arms, and once again be lulled to sleep by his steady breathing.

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><p>AN: Chapter 10 done! a little longer than usual, but hopefully you guys enjoyed the double whammy of lemony goodness ;-) Had to introduce a few new characters into the mix-don't worry, they aren't just there to hang out and look pretty, they'll serve a purpose coming later. Until then, our duo seems to be progressing nicely :) As always, reviews & subscriptions greatly appreciated. xoxo


	11. Torn

A/N: Short Chappie. Angsty. You have been warned... ;-)

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><p>Rebekah was clad in her powder blue pajama shorts and tank top, bopping around the kitchen to the sounds of The Black Eyed Peas and flipping pancakes when the doorbell sounded. She blurred over to the front door and opened it, blurring back to the kitchen just in time to save the pancake from being overcooked. Aleksandra entered the kitchen and took a whiff, closing her eyes in and humming in content.<p>

"You always could whip up the best breakfast," she acknowledged as Rebekah skillfully flipped the pancake onto the mounting pile and pouring more batter into the skillet.

"I know right," she smiled brightly and blurred over to the coffee maker, quickly pouring two cups and placing them in front of Aleksandra before returning to the skillet. Aleksandra went to the refrigerator to grab the coffee creamer.

"And what would you like in yours?" she questioned, choosing between French Vanilla and Hazelnut.

"O Neg and three sugars," Rebekah replied, flipping the pancake onto the plate once again and doing a little shoulder shimmy at her success. "And leave it out, Klaus will be down soon."

Aleksandra eyed the ceiling with a small smirk as she added a portion of the blood bag to Rebekah's coffee. "And why, may I ask, are you so chipper?"

"What isn't there to be happy about? I had a lovely evening at Zack's, my brother was on good behavior and wasn't hovering over me half the night, as he was too busy with Elena…"she waggled her eyebrow suggestively at Aleksandra, who stirred in her coffee creamer and made a tickled, scrunched up face.

"Don't tell me you listened in on them," Aleksandra whispered, and Rebekah shot her a sly look.

"Well, don't tell him I told you this, but yesterday I'd left out while Elena was eating breakfast, and I returned because I'd grabbed the wrong purse, and when I came back, I heard…"

"You heard what?" Klaus whispered as he suddenly appeared beside the two gossiping women, startling them.

"Nik!" Rebekah playfully shoved at her brother, who gave her a wry smile.

"You know it's not ladylike to gossip Bekah. But you've never been much of a proper lady," he taunted her, reaching over to tap her lightly on the tip of her nose. She swatted his hand away as he smiled.

Aleksandra sipped at her coffee silently, shooting a curious look at her cousin as he went to make himself a cup of coffee. As he spiked his cup with blood, he glanced over to catch her staring.

"Nor is it ladylike to stare," he blurred over to her, putting an arm over her shoulder and taking a gulp of his coffee. "So, what brings you here so early? Come to eat your human fill of my sister's breakfast?"

She shrugged his arm off of her, and looked at him disbelievingly. "Who are you, and what have you done with Niklaus?"

He shrugged and walked over to the plate of bacon, popping a piece in his mouth. "I'm afraid I don't follow."

She shot Rebekah a questioning look, who smiled and shrugged.

"You don't do _happy _Niklaus. Sarcasm, yes. But you look genuinely…happy," she remarked, watching him as he returned to the isle.

"Well look whose decided to be all broody and bothersome," mocked Aleksandra, making Rebekah giggle in content. "Take a breather witch; it's a beautiful day, and for once, I'm in a good mood. Now, isn't that for the better of all mankind?"

"It surely is," Aleksandra rolled her eyes as she walked over to the food and fixed her a plate. "So, where is she?"

"About to head down from the sounds of it," Klaus stretched his limber limbs and yawned, shaking slightly as he finished.

"Such a dog," Rebekah shook her head and followed Aleksandra in making herself a plate.

"_Wolf_, dear," he growled lightheartedly as Elena entered the kitchen, absently wrapping her damp locks around her fingers.

"There you are, I was beginning to worry about you," Rebekah smiled as she placed a plate for Elena on the isle. "My brother's been hogging you all to himself, being the selfish little monster he is."

"HaHaHa," Klaus feigned a laugh as Elena smiled slightly and sat at the isle next to him, looking down excitedly at the plate of food she'd been presented with. She poured the syrup on her pancakes and began digging in as Rebekah sat down with her plate.

"And how are you feeling Ms. Elena?" Aleksandra queried.

Elena swallowed her food and looked to the witch. "Normal as usual, I guess. Am I supposed to feel this normal?"

"I'm not sure Elena, we've never done this before so we aren't quite sure as to what you're supposed to feel," she smiled and sipping her coffee as Elena nodded in understanding. Klaus stood and headed to the refrigerator. "The spell doesn't say anything about how anything is supposed to progress, so it's kind of a wait and see thing from this point on, if it worked."

"And it has worked," Klaus interjected, placing a bottle of water beside Elena, who took it graciously but looked at him in surprise.

"You can already tell? How?" she questioned anxiously.

"He can't tell dear, only I can," Aleksandra replied to Elena.

"Well I certainly put forth my best effort," he gave Elena a look, which caused her to blush slightly.

"I'll check it out once we finish breakfast," Aleksandra stated.

"Can you check now?" Elena placed the water down and looked to the witch.

"Well, I can now if you insist," she answered as she walked over to Elena. Elena slid off of the stool and stood as Aleksandra beside her. Klaus and Rebekah watched intently as she slid her hand beneath Elena's shirt and let it rest on her belly.

Elena shivered slightly at the coolness of the witch's hands. She was surprised to notice just how warm Klaus' temperature must run, because even Aleksandra's human hand didn't emit the heat that seemed to radiate from the hybrid. Elena sighed slightly and shut her eyes. 'Must be a wolf thing…werewolves run hot, don't they?' Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt the witch's hand slide back from underneath her shirt, and tugged it back into place.

"Well, there's definitely a little spark of something in there," Aleksandra spoke softly, patting Elena's belly gently. "You stay put in there, little one."

Elena looked down at her flat belly. Out of her periphery she could see and hear Aleksandra walking over to Rebekah, them chattering excitedly about something. But all Elena could seem to hear was the sound of her own heartbeat, echoing in her ears. She felt her palms bead with sweat as she rubbed them slightly over her pajama bottoms, and swallowed dryly.

'Is this real? Is there really something inside of me?' she thought, biting her lip slightly to remind her that this wasn't a dream. She heard her heavy breathing along with her heartbeat now, and felt her stomach do somersaults. Was this what it was supposed to feel like? In the back of her mind, she knew that she shouldn't feel the giddy sense of excitement that was beginning to creep into her, but rather a sense of dread and foreboding regret. But the menacing feeling of despair never came. Instead, a slowly growing warmth began to flood her, and she felt hot tears begin to well in her eyes. 'The end of the curse…a life…'

Her thoughts were interrupted as she felt Klaus' warm hand press against her belly now. She looked down to find the all mighty hybrid on his knees in front of her. She watched as he tilted his head, and ran a thumb over her abdomen softly, never breaking the gaze he seemed to bore into her womb, as if he was looking directly into it. Elena looked around to discover that Rebekah and Aleksandra had left the kitchen at some point, and sighed slightly.

"So I guess you did do it after all," she remarked, trying to regain her composure.

"No," he spoke, pulling himself up from his knees and letting his hands rest on her hips as he caught her gaze. "_We _did it."

Elena broke the eye contact and shifted somewhat to the side, wrapping her arms around herself as she felt the tears begin to gather again.

"Hey," Klaus took her chin in his hand and turned her to face him. Tears began to spill hotly over her pale cheeks as she reached up to wipe them away quickly.

"I'm fine I'm just …" Elena scrubbed away the tears, angry that they wouldn't stop.

"Just what?" he asked anxiously, wiping away the residual trails on her cheeks.

"I'm not supposed to be happy about this!" she pushed his hands away from her face and shook her head. "I'm not supposed to be here, with you, with this…" she put her hand to her stomach and closed her eyes tightly. "You killed my friends and my family, and now I'm carrying your child, and…."

"And now you want to condemn yourself for feeling joy about this?" he narrowed his eyes at her.

"I shouldn't be happy Klaus! Not with you…not like this!" she shook her head vigorously and backed away from him slightly.

He captured her hand and pulled her back to him gently but firmly, and took her face in his hands. "Elena look at me. Damn it open your eyes and look at me!"

She opened her eyes and looked into his, which held a gloss over them. "I am sorry that you had the misfortune of being the doppelganger, and I am sorry that things have panned out the way that they have. But I am not sorry about this," he spoke seriously and Elena drew in a shaky breath. "I know I've hurt you, but don't you dare deny that you don't feel something for the life that's in you."

Elena exhaled heavily, and set her chocolate eyes on him stonily. "I'm not going to let myself be happy that I'm having this thing. It may end the curse, and it may benefit the both of us, but in the end it's still _yours._"

Klaus looked at her disgusted, and shook his head. "No matter what you do, and no matter what I compel you to forget, it will never change the fact that you now carry a part of me in you. So you can spend the next 9 months looking in the mirror and hating yourself if you'd like, or you can stop wallowing in self-pity thinking that it's honoring your deceased loved ones, and let yourself be happy again." He turned his back to her and walked away slowly. "I won't let anything hurt you Elena, but I can't save you from your Hell if you don't want to be saved." She heard the front door shut, signaling his exit. She made her way to the living room to lay on the couch, shutting her eyes tightly and curling into a fetal position, trying her hardest to compel herself to forget the warmth that she felt and the echo of his words that bellowed deeply in her mind.

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><p>AN: Wouldn't be right to just let them get off easy and have a joyous celebration about the prospect of their child. Had to throw in a little drama! && Poor Elena! So torn...and who wouldn't be! She's going to have to make some hard decisions about her future and how she plans on moving forward,_ **if** _she plans on doing so... lol as always, loving all the constructive criticisms and feedback you guys, keep it coming :) xoxo


	12. Resilience

A/N: thanks for all of your criticisms and reviews of the last chapter, soaking them up as always! A quick filler chapter, but pretty necessary after that last one. Enjoy!

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><p>"So what are we doing today?" Elena asked, putting on a sheer touch of makeup. Rebekah gave her a droll look back in the mirror as she ran the straightener through her hair.<p>

"_We _are not doing anything today. I told you I already committed to be Viktor's date at a luncheon," Rebekah replied.

"I know that's what you said, but I figured if it was a luncheon that I could come along too and…"

"Stop right there," Rebekah interrupted, placing the straightener down on the sink, turning to Elena. "Do you know why I agreed to go to this luncheon, hm? Because I can't take another _second _playing middle woman between you and Niklaus!"

Elena pursed her lips together and picked up the straightener, brushing her comment off. Rebekah had been trying to stay neutral between the two, and thus she and Elena had been spending more time together. But Elena guessed that even the blonde had grown tired of the silent war. "I can't take just sitting around her all day Bekah, you know I'll get stir-crazy."

"Who says you have to stay in?" Rebekah shrugged, applying her lip gloss. "Viktor's coming to pick me up; you're more than welcome to take my car out into town."

Elena gave her a look. "You know he isn't going to let me go out on my own."

"You never know, I mean, since you two haven't said much more than hello, how are you, and goodbye directly to each other for the past few weeks, maybe this will spurt up an argument. All I know is that today, I won't be the mediator." Rebekah gave Elena a half smile as she heard Viktor's car pull up. "Well, there's my ride. Okay, so how do I look?" she twisted around for Elena to inspect her.

"Great, as usual. At least one of us does," she muttered, continuing to straighten her hair.

"Oh come off that attitude, you look the same and you've barely gained a pound. By the way, that summer dress is really cute on you. Gotta run," she leaned forward to give Elena a spirited peck on the cheek, before rushing out the room.

Elena exhaled heavily and continued to neaten her wavy locks. Rebekah was right-she and Klaus had been walking on eggshells around each other for the past month…well, he more than she. Though their confrontation in the kitchen had been the blunt and raw truth of how she felt at that time, reflecting back on it, she couldn't help but feel that she'd struck something deep within him with her words. He'd not made any smart retorts towards her, no playful quips or flirtatious moves. Hell he'd not even expressed anger towards her. Not that she was complaining about the last two, but something about him being so…emotionless towards her just didn't sit right.

She had mulled over her his words for many nights after their fight. She didn't want to look in the mirror and hate herself. And truth be told, it wasn't that having his… the fetus, in her, that made her feel disgusted with herself. It was the fact that she was actually beginning to enjoy herself in this place, and feel comfortable around him that was the problem. That and the fact that she was enthralled with the way he could make her feel when he touched her body and was within her. She had never been one to dwell on the sexual pleasures that a man could offer, but the few times that they had been together had been…breath-taking, literally. She found that it had become harder to be miserable around the hybrid than it was to be content.

And it was because of this that she felt she had to distance herself and shut off whatever it was that she could feel developing. Whether he knew it or not, he had an uncanny ability to make lines blur, effortlessly bend the rules to his will, and make what should be black and white murky and gray. Rational thinking was hard to do in his presence, but Elena found that during the past month, she managed to get a lot of her thoughts straight where it came to him and their situation.

It was a fact that he'd hurt, threatened, and killed people that she loved. Hell, he'd killed her. It was also a fact that she'd felt hatred towards him.

But, it was also a fact that in his mind, he had a perfectly justifiable reason for every single act that he'd taken to this point that involved her. He killed her to break the curse his mother had placed on him. He killed Jenna because Damon wasn't an option for the sacrifice. He killed her friends for taking his family. He didn't stop to think about who he was hurting when he was out to accomplish something. And why should he? He was one of the most powerful creatures on the Earth. So why would he take into consideration what she, a human girl, would feel or think?

Which brought her to the issue at hand. He might not have cared back then, but something was different now. If he didn't actually care what she thought or felt now, why make an effort to be somewhat cordial? Why not keep up with the threat of killing her brother and Bonnie, rape her, and keep her captive under lock and key if it was all about accomplishing the goal of breaking the doppelganger curse? She had been noticing these subtle changes about him, catching glimpses of his humanity. She knew he was capable of feeling. She could see it in his eyes and feel it in his touch. But the dispassionate manner in which he was behaving toward her now worried her more than the subtle feelings she was trying to stave off.

She remembered that her mother had always been an advocate for forgiveness. Elena had picked up this trait as well, looking for the good in people when it seemed there was none initially. She had done it with Stefan, with Damon, even with Katherine, and especially with Rebekah. Her biggest challenge yet, if it was even possible, would be the hybrid.

As she finished straightening the last strand of hair and smoothing a hand over her belly, she settled on the fact that she would have to have a talk with Klaus. Whatever the outcome of it be, she couldn't take the feigned encounters between them for the next 8 months without at least making an effort to come to some middle ground.

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><p>She discovered him outside in the pool, swimming laps with ease. As she approached, she felt her stomach quiver slightly and stopped in her tracks. 'C'mon Elena, you've done way harder things than this. It's just a conversation.' She took a breath in, and continued until she reached the pool edge. Klaus surfaced at the opposite end of the pool and wiped his face, looking at her questioningly.<p>

"Can we talk?" she asked brazenly. He simply looked at her for a few seconds, before dipping back under the water and swimming over to her. Elena took a seat on the warm concrete as he surfaced in front of her.

"Are you alright?" he asked almost mechanically, wiping his face again.

"I'm fine," she said, pausing afterwards.

He looked at her silently and unblinking, waiting to see if there would be any follow-up. Normally, their conversations would end about right here. But this was the first time that she'd begun with the phrase 'can we talk.' However, he knew better than to just assume anything at this point when it came to her.

Elena's lips hung open slightly as she tried to gather up her next thoughts and articulate them into words. 'He's not going to make this process any easier…'

It took her a beat too long, and Klaus couldn't help but comment, "Well, this is awkward…"

Elena raised her brows and bit back a smile. 'Understatement of the century…okay Elena, buck up and get to it.' "I wanted to talk about what was said back…well, you know when."

He looked at her suspiciously. "What's there to talk about? I heard what you said loud and clear, supernatural hearing and all."

"Yes, but listen, I…"

"You don't have to elaborate on it Elena, personally I'd appreciate if you didn't. But hey, you don't owe me any favors," he interjected, and languidly and laid back to float.

"Ughh, would you just let me speak!" Elena growled, becoming annoyed with his devil-may-care attitude.

Klaus flipped back to his feet to look at her. "What for, hm? I've been doing what you want me to do; I've been leaving you alone, keeping an eye on you from a distance…"

"Stop, okay. Just….stop," she held up a hand to silence him. "This isn't the way this conversation is supposed to go, so just let me speak first." He gazed at her while she took a deep breath in. "I've been thinking about things for a while now. Sorting stuff in my head, trying to cope with this arrangement, and most of all trying to figure out where you fit into everything."

Klaus strode closer to her through the water as she looked down at her dress, pulling at the hem of it before continuing.

"You've done a lot of things. Caused a lot of hurt and pain in my life…but recently…" she shook her head, trying to make sense of what all was in her brain wanting to come out. "I've been able to see you be different, be better…I've seen humanity in you. And to be honest…trying so hard to constantly hate you makes me feel like I'm losing my humanity to you. And I won't let that happen."

He was silent for a few moments, before replying back. "So what are you really getting at Elena?" Klaus asked with a repressed sense of hope in his voice.

"I'm saying… that I'm done with trying to hate myself for doing this, and I'm done trying to hate you. What's done is done; I agreed to do this because I think it's the right thing to do for the both of us, and I'm going to follow it through. It doesn't negate what happened in the past, and I will never forget. But….I want to try to move forward. And the only way I can do this is if you're not fighting me the whole way."

Klaus watched her, silently regarding her expression. He was familiar with this look-the determined, strong-willed way her jaw was set and her eyes focused. He sighed, and put his arms on the edge on the pool.

"What do you need me to do?"

"First of all, you can stop with this nonchalant avoidant thing you've been having going on. "

That was music to his ears. Trying to avoid contact with her, verbal or physical, had turned into a 24/7 nightmare for him. "Easy enough," Klaus agreed. "What else?"

"Respect me as an individual, and don't treat me like a possession. Just because I'm having your baby does not make me yours."

Klaus smiled lightly. This was the first time he'd heard her refer to the life growing inside of her as a baby, his baby. "Okay Elena."

Elena exhaled, and found herself relaxing. Okay, so maybe it wasn't as bad as she'd thought. He seemed to listen and agree with her rather easily… 'Let's see if it sticks,' she thought as she let her fingers skim the water.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking, too," Klaus suddenly stated, climbing out of the pool and sitting beside her. Elena looked to him as he leaned back and soaked in the sun. "About you and why is it that a human girl can get under my skin like no other. At first I figured it was nothing more than you being a descendent of Charlotte, her twin in physical appearance. But the more I'm around you, the more I watch you, your…mannerisms, your attitude, your spirit; I've come to realize that like Katerina, you are really nothing like Charlotte at all."

Elena looked at him, surprised at his confession.

"Charlotte was beautiful, but quiet and subservient to the men in her life. Katerina, conniving and rebellious. And you," he paused and turned to look at her. "Resilience is your essence. I've never seen anything quite like you in all my years Elena. I don't want to be the person to snuff that light of yours out."

She blushed lightly at his comment, and gave him a small smile. He sounded on board. "So, now that we're back on speaking terms, I was wondering what that brunette vampire had dropped off last week? I mean she came so late at night."

Klaus cocked his head and returned the small smile. "Don't tell me you're turning into a snoop Elena?" Elena rolled her eyes and he chuckled. "Her name is Nicole, and she came to drop off some blood supply that I'd asked her to retrieve."

"Oh," Elena nodded.

"And then of course we had a nightcap and made passionate love," Klaus shrugged casually. Elena looked at him slightly perturbed, and he patted her on the shoulder lightheartedly. "Lighten up, I was just joking. We talked for a while; she's an old friend of mine. I do have those, you know."

"Right, because you're just the life of the party," Elena teased as Klaus stood up, offering his hand to help her. She took it and eased onto her feet easily.

"Speaking of the life of the party, you're looking spiffy today," her bright dress and straight hair made him reminisce of his first encounter with her in Mystic Falls. "Where was my sister planning to whisk you off to?" Klaus inquired.

"Actually she ditched me. I think she wanted to push me to talk to you," Elena ran a hand through her hair.

Klaus nodded. 'I'll have to thank baby sis for that one later.'

"But she told me I could take her car and head into town, so I think that's what I'm off to do. I need to buy a few things…"

"Wait a minute; you want to go into town? By yourself?" Klaus couldn't help but chuckle audibly. "No."

"What? But she said…"

"It's too dangerous for you to just go off on your own Elena," he stated plainly. "I'll come with you."

Elena sighed. "What happened to treating me like an adult and an individual? I'll be fine. I've gotten use to the streets and where things are, I just want to grab a few things from the store is all."

Klaus growled under his breath, but Elena touched his arm. "I need to get out on my own for a bit. I'll be careful, okay?"

Klaus sighed. He wouldn't turn this into a fight, not when they were just getting back on track. "Okay…okay. But take my car instead it won't draw as much attention as that Barbie car of Rebekah's."

Elena smiled brightly and began walking to the house. "Do you need me to bring anything back?"

"Nothing," he called out as she entered the house.

"Nothing but yourself. In one piece," Klaus uttered. This was a terribly stupid idea. Anyone could mistake her for Katerina in this town, or even worst; know that she was affiliated with Klaus and take her as leverage. Once he heard the smooth engine of his Bentley come to life and leave the driveway, he quickly went into the house to slip on some clothes. Just because he said he wouldn't go with her didn't mean that he couldn't tail her on foot to make sure she was safe. Besides, she'd never even know he was there.

* * *

><p>AN: Filler done! lol not my favorite, but some pretty important issues had to be addressed between these two in order for them to regroup. Last chapter was the tearing off of the bandaid; this chapter was the airing of the wounds to begin the healing process. I hope I was able to somewhat convey that, bc things like this are sometimes hard to put in words, even in our own lives.

But enough of my own angsty note! The next couple of chapters are gonna really pick up some interesting plots that I've thought of, so I'm def looking forward to getting started with those :) as always, reviews & suggestions are welcome and appreciated! xoxox


	13. Fenrir

A/N: Picks up right where we left off last :)

* * *

><p>Surprisingly, he found that Elena had opted not to go to downtown, but rather to the borough of Greenwich. Furthermore, he was a little shocked to find that she had found her way there so easily, and as he watched her park the car and take to the street, it became clear that she had gone there for a particular reason-The Greenwich Market. Klaus had indulged in his fair share of the street foods and delicacies that they offered many ages ago, and could only guess that it was Rebekah who had introduced Elena to it. Nevertheless, he knew that Greenwich was a relatively sound and safe area that not many vampires or werewolves would typically spend their time, and it just so happened that Aleksandra lived a few blocks from the area. He could always go pay his cousin a visit.<p>

'I guess I'll let her be for a while then,' he thought as he watched her stop at a vendor table and carefully pick up a small craft.

* * *

><p>Elena examined the little delicate jewelry box in awe, and immediately knew she wanted to purchase it for Bonnie. She looked at the variety of other things on the table, and spotted a small jade bracelet with tiny gold charms.<p>

"Hm, this would be cute for Rebekah," she picked it up and examined it more carefully.

"Good day to you ma'am," the chipper voice of the older woman vendor caught Elena's attention. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Actually yes, I wanted to buy these two things," Elena handed her the items.

"Might you be interested in adding one more item to the bunch? It's a special, 3 for 9 pounds today," she vendor added hopefully.

Elena considered the offer. She wanted to get Jeremy something, but had wanted to get him a good-grade drawing kit of some sort, not jewelry. She looked on the table again, and a black leather bracelet with a couple of intricate silver beads and a center charm of what looked to be a wolf.

"Can I see that one?" she questioned, pointing to the bracelet. The vendor spotted the bracelet immediately, and picked it up.

"Fenrir's Crest," the vendor handed the bracelet gently to Elena. Elena looked at it, and the vendor smiled. "You're American, and I take it you're not familiar with Nordic mythology?"

Elena looked up and smiled slightly. "No, just something about Vikings and Valhalen from back in the 7th grade."

"Valhalla," the vendor corrected friendly. "Is it a gift for a male friend or a family member?"

Elena paused to think for a second. What exactly was Klaus? "Um…something like that," she managed.

"He must be a very strong and fervent man to wear the crest of Fenrir, the great wolf demon," she said as she placed the bracelets and the jewelry box in a burlap bag.

"That sounds just like him," Elena couldn't help but find amusement in the comparison. As she paid the vendor, she suddenly remembered that Klaus actually was descendent from Vikings. Surely he'd know more about it. 'I'll be sure to ask him later…'

* * *

><p>Elena paid for the last of her items at the last vendor table, Jeremy's sketch kit, and pulled out the cell phone that Rebekah had insisted on to check the time.<p>

'Wow 7:00 already, time really flew by today,' she thought to herself. Rebekah had brought her here a couple of times, and she could never get enough of looking at the little crafts and trinkets that they offered in the market. As she walked through the market and to the exit, she wondered how Rebekah's little luncheon went with Viktor. She smiled, wondering what the female vampire would say when she'd tell her about her conversation with Klaus. As she was typing a text to Rebekah, she suddenly found herself bumping into a hard body and dropping her phone.

"Ops! Sorry about that," Elena quickly bent down to retrieve the phone and stood back up to a familiar face.

"No, my apologies. Elena, am I right?" the man spoke calmly.

"Yeah…um, you're...you're that guy from Zack's hotel, um…"

"Ivan, yes," the vampire smiled at her.

"Right, Ivan," she affirmed and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Sorry about bumping into you though, I should've been paying more attention."

"No need to apologize dear," he shook his head firmly. Elena gave a small smile as Ivan looked around. "And who, may I ask, are you here with?"

Elena paused for a moment. A slight uneasy feeling crept into her as the older vampire turned his almost electric green eyes to lock onto hers.

"No one," she said, with forced confidence. "I came out to the market on my own."

"And Niklaus allowed this, even in your delicate condition?"

'Delicate condition? He doesn't know about…' "I don't know what you're talking about," Elena shook her head, brushing him off and trying to walk around him.

"Oh, but you do know what I'm talking about Elena," he turned to follow her out of the market casually. Elena glanced back. He didn't seem to be threatening, nor was he really chasing her, so she wouldn't run. Yet.

But she was interested in knowing if he was referring to what she thought he was. So against better judgment, she stopped, and turned around to face him.

"I didn't believe it at first when Nicole told me. But now that I'm in your presence, I can sense it. Just barely, but if I focus hard enough I can tell," he came slightly closer to her and looked at her belly.

Elena narrowed her eyes. "That wasn't her information to tell."

Ivan chuckled. "Elena, we've known Niklaus for a lot longer than you and even your mother, mother's mother, and generations before her were even thought of. If we aren't allowed to know and discuss information like this about him, then who, may I ask, should be?"

Elena knew that Ivan belonged to the same group of associates that Klaus considered his friends. But she was no fool; regardless of whatever kind of friendly face Ivan put on, she could sense that there was clearly some sort of animosity between the two, regardless of their very distant familial ties. And the way he looked at her was simply unnerving.

"My question is, how did he manage to pull this off? First he breaks the curse and frees his werewolf side and keeps you alive, and now he's managed to defy nature once again and impregnate you. He must have had help from someone, a witch perhaps…"

"If he wanted you to know I'm sure he'd tell you," Elena snapped, standing her ground.

"Was it Aleksandra? It was, wasn't it? You don't have to answer me Elena, I can see it in your face," he replied.

Elena's eyes widened slightly as he continued. "But why would he want to impregnate a human?…but you're not just any human, you're the doppelganger of course," he began slowly walking closer to her.

Elena felt frozen, and could hear the alarms going off in her head. 'Move Elena….you have to move!' But she was trapped in the arms of both fear and uncertainty as he made his way right in front of her and raised a hand to touch her cheek.

"So beautiful, just as Katerina was…" he remarked quietly as she trembled.

"Well look at this," the smooth, deep voice of the hybrid interjected, and suddenly he was behind Elena. Elena was startled out of her frozen demeanor and swiftly turned around to face Klaus. "Honestly Elena, you've just been full of awkward moments today."

"Kl…Klaus?" she looked at him in half surprise and half relief.

"In the flesh love," he didn't even bother looking at her as he was focused on Ivan.

"Hello Niklaus, nice to see you out here in Greenwich," Ivan greeted.

"Lovely to see you too," Klaus stated overly enthusiastic. "What brings you out here?"

"Just passing through the Market like we used to do back in the good ole' days," he shrugged. "And I happened to run into the beautiful Elena, who said she was alone. Though, I had my doubts about that."

"And you figured correctly," Klaus said bluntly.

Elena scoffed disbelievingly. "You were following me?"

"So, congratulations are in order for the…hybrid father to be, I suppose?" Ivan smirked as Klaus glared at him. "I am interested to know why you've decided to do this though, its' not like you."

"You don't know me, Ivan. You've heard stories of me through that watered-down family line of yours, and you've observed me because of your affiliation with those I know. But don't mistaken that for _knowing _me," he growled, and easily put himself between Elena and Ivan. "You've been pressing your luck with me for some time now, assuming that I'll honor that I gave Aleksandra my word that I wouldn't dispose of your sorry carcass. But those terms can be quickly terminated if I so choose."

"If you so choose…" Ivan reiterated, then put his hands up in mock surrender. "Fine, fine. Next time I see Elena I won't even bother speaking or acting cordially." He looked at Elena over Klaus' shoulder. "It'll be as if she doesn't even exist."

Elena felt herself shrink closer into the shadow of Klaus as Ivan turned around and blurred off. Klaus stayed rooted for a moment after, before turning around to face Elena.

"Are you okay?" he questioned.

Elena nodded silently, and wrapped her arms around herself. Klaus peeled his jacket off and handed it to her, then walked around her to stride to the car.

Elena whirled around and began walking quickly to try to keep up.

"So you followed me out here? How long did you follow me Klaus?" she questioned, irritation at the fact that he secretly tailed her setting in.

"If you must know I followed you out here and then I left you to be alone, trying to give you the benefit of the doubt," Klaus growled, more angry at himself than anything. "Which was foolish of me, I should've known better."

"I'm not saying I'm not glad that you showed up, but deep down I knew you letting me off on my own was too good to be true," she began panting slightly at keeping up with his fast pace.

"Then what are you saying Elena?" he whirled and stopped in front of her. "Because it almost sounds like you're trying to scold _me _for showing up to save you! There's no telling what he was thinking of when he saw you! He has a sick fixation on Katerina still and he doesn't care if you're her or not as long as you're wearing her face!"

Elena winced at his tone, but she knew that everything he said was true.

Klaus sighed audibly, and racked a hand over his head, trying to calm himself. "I'm not angry with you Elena, just at the situation. But do you understand now what I was saying earlier? He more than likely wouldn't have done anything to you, but who's to say he wouldn't have snapped and just taken you? Or any other vampire for that matter?" he stepped closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not trying to belittle you, I know you're strong and independent, but I am trying to protect you. And I will. You have to understand that, especially now."

Though she may not have liked it completely, she did understand. She nodded in agreement, and suddenly remembered something.

"He said Nicole told him. Did you tell her?"

Klaus closed his eyes and exhaled in frustration. "I did. I didn't expect her to go blabbing off at the mouth, but then again I should have known better."

"It's okay. I mean, they were bound to find out eventually anyway, right?" Elena tried to reason.

"I suppose," he mused, and turned back around, walking slower so Elena could keep up with him easily. As the approached the car, he looked at her expectedly. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Do you mind giving me a ride….in _my _car?" he smiled.

Elena rolled her eyes and opened the car doors, climbing into the driver's seat.

* * *

><p>The drive home was a comfortingly quiet one.<p>

Elena felt the tug of exhaustion pull at her as she made it up to her room and slipped out of her dress. She slipped under the welcoming sheets of the bed, and pulled the burlap bag containing the gifts from the dresser.

"Klaus," she called out, knowing that he would hear her. Sure enough, he emerged through her door moments later.

"Is Rebekah home yet?" she asked.

"I don't think she's coming home tonight, probably out partying with Viktor at one of his clubs," he replied.

Elena reached into the burlap bag. "I got something for you."

Klaus' eyebrows shot up as he walked over to investigate.

"It's nothing big," she pulled out the bracelet and handed it to him.

He inspected the bracelet, and smirked. "It's funny that you should get me this, as I've been compared to this demon countless times."

Elena sat up in the bed slightly. "The vendor told me his name was Fenrir, and he was a Nordic wolf demon. I figured you could tell me more about it since, well, it's kind of your history."

Klaus toyed with the charm before sitting on the edge of the bed. "Fenrir was indeed a demon, in the form of a great black wolf. He started off as a small harmless pup, and no one thought much of him. Until he began to grow bigger and stronger. Only one was brave enough to feed him, the son of Odin, Tyr. The Gods warned Odin of what Fenrir was capable of, and eventually set forth to chain the wolf up rather than killing him…sound familiar?"

Elena smiled slightly. It sounded like an old fairytale with him as the main character. Only for him, a lot of it was actually real. "Well, I hope you don't take offense to it."

"On the contrary Elena, I actually think being compared to a powerful wolf demon is about as real as it gets," he chuckled. "And maybe you are Tyr. The one that dares to feed me."

"Yeah, until I get my head bitten off," Elena giggled.

"Well actually, Fenrir does bite Tyr's hand off, but we'll ignore that bit," he smiled, and put the bracelet around his wrist. He looked at it a moment more, then turned his gaze to her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Elena replied, and laid her head onto her pillow. Klaus stood and looked down upon her as she closed her eyes. He wanted nothing more than to climb into the bed and hold her in his arms, but decided that he'd give her the time and space she wanted and needed. He walked to the doorway and flicked off the lights.

"Goodnight Fenrir," she joked softly, settling into the bed.

"Goodnight, Tyr," he replied gently, shutting the door behind him as he exited the room.

* * *

><p>AN: And there it is, the last chapter... of this segment of the story, anyway lol. Starting with the next chapter, there's are going to be a jump in time. Not a huge one, but enough to get the ball rolling, especially in Elena's pregnancy. Just giving a heads up so no one gets too confused lol. Not gonna give much more away than that ;-) as always, reviews & suggestions appreciated! xoxoxo


	14. The Hunted

Klaus winced at the sound of Elena's dry-heaving as pulled his shirt over his head. Aleksandra insisted that while she could do a lot of things, there were some things that would need to be taken care of by an actual doctor. Elena had been having bouts of morning sickness for the past week now, and though the witch reassured Klaus that it was normal, he couldn't stand the sound and sight of her being so weak and he unable to do anything about it. He made his was briskly down the hallway and into her bathroom, just as she reached up to flush the toilet. She was still on her knees, gripping the toilet as if it were her savior, and breathing raggedly.

"I thought I told you not to come in here, I don't wanna be seen like this," she murmured into the porcelain bowl.

"Stop being petty Elena; trust me, this isn't the worst thing I've ever dealt with," he knelt behind her and pulled her hair back with one hand and gently rubbing her back with the other.

Elena spat into the toilet, and sighed weakly. "I don't want to go to the doctor. I don't feel good."

Klaus smiled slightly, and stroked the back of her neck lightly with his fingertips. "That's the whole point Elena. The doctor will be able to fix you right up so you will feel better."

"A doctor can't fix me blowing up like a whale, puking my guts out and being overly emotional Klaus!" Elena turned to him, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "What if there's something really wrong with me? What if it's like in Twilight, and it's actually killing me!"

Klaus rolled his eyes. 'I swear, she can be such a drama queen at times…' "First of all, you're not dying. Secondly, the doctor can give you medicine to help with the morning sickness. You're not blowing up like a whale, and if you think that then I'll have to remind you every day that you're beautiful just the same," he tilted her chin to look at him. "And about the overly emotional part, well…that may be uncurable."

Elena gave him a small smile and allowed him to help her up from the floor. Not sparing a single moment, she headed straight for the sink and began to vigorously scrub her mouth with the 2nd round of toothpaste and toothbrush of the morn.

"Ease up before you brush out a tooth," Klaus pressed gently up against her back and let a hand run from her side to her swollen abdomen. Elena's skin prickled at his touch as she spit, swished, and spit again, before wiping her mouth with a towel and standing up fully. She caught Klaus' gaze in the mirror, and found herself leaning back ever so slightly against him. He let his hand rub gently over her belly, and slightly lower to the waist of her sweatpants, before stepping away.

"Come, or we're going to be late for the appointment," he insisted, walking out of the bathroom. Elena let out an audible sigh, and looked at herself if the mirror, placing her hand where his had been. She'd read that the pregnancy hormones could make her…well, aroused easily. And if that was the case, then for the past week her body had been on overdrive. Every slight touch or subtle glance from the hybrid would set her skin aflame. But in the past 3 months, he had not once touched her more than was necessary, had not kissed her…

'Knock it off Elena, it's just these damned hormones' she shook her head, and exited the bathroom.

* * *

><p>Klaus watched warily as this 'Doctor Armstrong,' as he was called, squeezed a mysterious, strange smelling goo onto Elena's belly. As Elena chatted with the male doctor, Klaus stood vigilantly in the corner, arms folded, and a slightly unsettled look on his face. He figured that the doctor would simply talk to Elena, get down her symptoms, and prescribe some type of medicine to aid with her morning sickness. He never realized that he'd be confined into a small room, with various machines and monitors, or that Elena would have to lay on her back to have some sort of 'goo' applied to her stomach. Modern technology was a wonder, but in this case, he would have rather do without it.<p>

"This is going to show you your baby, and you'll also be able to hear the baby's heartbeat," Dr. Armstrong announced, walking over to dim the lights.

Elena glanced over to Klaus, noticing his increasingly disturbed demeanor as the lights dimmed low, and couldn't help but laugh. She knew exactly what was going on-she knew, of course he wouldn't have any experience with the concept of ultrasounds. And the whole process probably looked like some odd alien procedure to someone who'd never been acquainted with it. She turned her attention back to the doctor, who had now returned to her side and began to put on his gloves. Elena watched as Klaus narrowed his eyes and let out a small growl as the doctor picked up the ultrasound probe.

Apparently the doctor had heard the hybrid's distress. "Is anything wrong sir?" he asked innocently.

"What the hell is that thing?" Klaus asked flatly, and approached Elena.

"It's just a probe Klaus, to see the baby with," she answered quickly, and turned to the doctor, who was slightly confused. "Please excuse him, he's not…familiar with these types of things."

"Well enough. No worries Mr. Niklaus, this procedure is common and non-invasive, it won't hurt mom or baby," Dr. Armstrong smiled cheerily as he began moving the gel around on Elena's belly.

"It had better not, or you'd be a dead man," he told the man frankly, making the doctor chuckle awkwardly.

"Such a kidder he is," Elena said lightly, but shot Klaus a death look. Klaus simply glared at her back and shrugged, coming closer to her side to lean against the bed.

"There we are," the doctor stopped moving the probe. "Say hi to mom and dad little one."

Klaus and Elena's attention switched from each other and looked to the screen as they heard the distinct pitter-patter sound of a heartbeat fill the room. Their eyes widened simultaneously at what they saw. There was a black sac on the screen, but resting comfortably against the inside of it, was the image of a tiny infant.

Tears immediately sprung to Elena's eyes as she put a hand over her mouth to stifle a cry. It was like nothing she'd ever seen before. Sure, she'd seen pictures of ultrasounds in textbooks and on the discovery channel. However, nothing about this pregnancy or this baby had typical beginnings. But as she looked at the ultrasound of the tiny being, she couldn't help but see how absolutely perfect it looked, nestled within her. Normal shaped head, tiny button nose, fat little body, two tiny arms and legs…

Her tears flowed freely down her cheeks now. It was as if a giant weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She'd spent the past 4 months deftly terrified of coming to the doctor and seeing what the creature would look like, afraid that she might be harboring a monster within her womb. But there was nothing monstrous about this. It was too beautiful, too perfect to be a monster. She then turned her attention to the father of the tiny miracle. He was watching the screen, enthralled at every tiny move the baby made.

"Can you feel that?" he asked Elena, never taking his eyes off the screen.

Elena bit her lip, and nodded. "It feels like a flutter, but I can feel it," she sniffled up slightly.

"Listen to his heartbeat….you're a strong one, aren't you?" he looked down at Elena's belly amiably, then to Elena. He reached up to stroke her wet cheeks. "Just like its mother."

Elena immediately turned her attention to the doctor. "Can you tell if it's a girl or a boy?"

The doctor wrinkled his forehead, and looked to the screen. "It's pretty early, but I can give it a try."

He began to move the probe around on Elena's belly again, trying to find a good view. Klaus looked to Elena. "Boy or girl, which do you want?"

"Either. It doesn't matter, I'm just happy that it's normal," Elena sighed contently.

"What, did you think that it would be some sort of little devil with horns and a tiny pitchfork?" Klaus nudged Elena's arm and she smiled good-naturedly.

"Right there!" the doctor said excitedly, snapping a screenshot. "Looks like he was feeling cooperative with us."

"He?" Elena looked to the doctor. "It's a boy?"

"Congratulations," the doctor nodded, putting down the probe and peeling his gloves off.

"Well it'll definitely be nice to not be the only man around the house," Klaus said warmly, grabbing a towel from the table to wipe her belly free of the gel. Elena's smile faded slightly as she watched him carefully soak up the goo. As if almost sensing what Elena was thinking, Klaus finished cleaning her up, and then leaned down to whisper to the baby bump. "Of course, we'll have to convince your mum to stick around first. So you'd better come out a lady's man like your dad, ready to charm her pants off."

Elena nudged his arm gently, grateful that he hadn't brought up the topic to full-scale.

"So Elena, I've written you a prescription for Zofran, and it should help ease up the morning sickness," he handed her a roll of ultrasound pictures. "Everything else looks great, so I'll look forward to seeing you in about another 3 months then," Dr. Armstrong said as Klaus helped Elena off the table.

"Thanks so much," she smiled at the doctor.

"Yeah, thanks doc," Klaus nodded in appreciation as he guided Elena out of the room. As they walked down the halls, Klaus pulled out her cell phone from his pocket and handed it to Elena.

"You want to give your brother a call and tell him he's expecting a nephew?" he asked cooly. He may be able to play it cool on the exterior, but Elena could clearly see the hybrid's excitement behind his eyes.

"You know I haven't told Jeremy about any of this. I haven't even spoken to him since I left; I mailed the gifts to him with no return address as well," she told him as they approached the pharmacy counter. "Hi, prescription for Elena Gilbert please."

"Suit yourself. I know one aunt who's dying to know," he pulled out his phone, and knitted his brows. "So excited that she's called me 16 times…"

Elena checked her phone. 11 missed calls were from Rebekah. "She's been calling me too. You think she's that excited to find out?" Elena asked as she took the prescription from the pharmacist.

Klaus' phone lit up once again. "I guess we'll find out, she's calling now….Rebekah?"

"Why haven't you been picking up the phone Niklaus? I've been blowing both you and Elena's cell phones up!" Elena could hear the vampire's voice clear through the phone.

"Relax Rebekah, I'd set them on silent. Were you _that _anxious to find out how everything went?" he smirked.

"You need to get home right now Nik, we've got a problem. As in, BIG problem," Rebekah stopped to speak to someone else in the background. Klaus squinted, trying to make out the voice.

"Is that Skasha in the background?" Klaus questioned.

"Niklaus just hurry up and get here now!" Rebekah yelled into her brother's ear. He grimaced and removed the phone from his ear at the booming of her voice, before he heard the line cut.

Elena looked at him questioningly as he stared at the phone. "C'mon lets go," he took Elena by the hand and quickly turned on his heels, walking briskly out the front doors of the hospital.

"What's wrong, did something happen?" Elena asked nervously as Klaus flagged the valet driver to fetch the car.

"I'm not sure but she's freaking out, and I could've sworn I heard one of my hybrids in the background…"

"Hybrids?" Elena asked wide-eyed.

"Surely you didn't think I'd only created those few that were in the States," he looked at her moodily as the Bentley pulled up.

* * *

><p>Elena and Klaus pulled up to the house to find that Axel was just climbing out of his Range Rover and heading to the door. Klaus blurred over to open Elena's door, then over to Axel.<p>

"What's this all about? Did Rebekah call you here?" he asked the scarred vampire impatiently.

"She wouldn't tell me what was going on, only that I needed to come over quickly," Axel replied, bowing in recognition as Elena approached. Rebekah swung open the front door swiftly.

"Thank goodness you're finally here," she snipped.

"This had better not be one of your overly-dramatic fits Bekah," Klaus growled.

"Its not," a female voice from the doorway interrupted before Rebekah could snap back. Elena looked to the woman. She was absolutely gorgeous. She had dark eyes, olive colored skin and thick, dark curls that fell over her shoulders as she came to join the rest of the lot.

"Skasha, what's all this about?" Klaus questioned and extended an arm out as the female walked up to him and into his open arm, returning the hug and giving him a quick peck on the jaw.

"Showing would be better than telling. C'mon," she led them back into the house. Elena noticed how uneasy Rebekah was in the way she had her arms wrapped around her. This was unsettling. Rebekah was an Original; not very much could get her riled up in this manner. As they entered the kitchen, both Klaus and Axel stopped in their tracks.

Axel took a deep whiff in, and growled.

"Elena, stay in the house," Klaus growled and stormed out of the door with the female hybrid and two vampires at his heels. Elena walked to the kitchen window and peered out inquisitively at the group. She saw that they were surrounding what appeared to be three dog carcasses…or wolves…

Klaus circled the three dead creatures, eyeing them suspiciously. "What happened?" he hastily asked Rebekah.

"I was lounging in the pool and they came out of nowhere Nik," Rebekah replied fretfully. "They attacked me, I don't know what they wanted…"

"These aren't hybrids Nik, they're werewolves. But I have no idea how they're shifted into wolf form, it's not a full moon…" Skasha said.

"I fought them off, but they were strong…one of them bit me Nik!" Rebekah was borderline hysterical. Klaus' attention snapped up to his sister and he blurred over to her side.

"Where'd he bite you at?" Klaus questioned sternly. Rebekah sniffled a bit and held out her forearm. It was free of any marks.

"I gave her my blood to stop the poison from spreading," Skasha replied as Klaus took his now sobbing baby sister into his arms.

"Shhhh…calm down its okay, I'm here now," he assured her, petting her hair. He looked to Skasha. "Do you recognize their scent?"

"Nothing, I've never seen nor smelt anything like them. Perhaps they're rogues who were looking to be turned?"

"No, they wouldn't have attacked my sister or come in wolf form if that was the case. They had to be sent here by their pack leader or something…Axel, do you recognize anything about them?"

Axel narrowed his eyes and bent down to more closely examine them. Klaus turned to the door to see Elena standing at the doorway. He knew she was just itching to come out and see what was going on. "Rebekah love, go into the house with Elena okay?"

Rebekah nodded and returned to the house solemnly as Axel ran a hand over the thick fur of the largest wolf.

"They aren't from one solid pack. This one is from Siberia, but… I don't recognize him as having any traits from any of the packs I've hunted out there. But you see these collars?" Axel tore the heavy metal collar from the neck of the wolf. "They're spelled. And I'd bet anything that this is how they are in wolf form."

"Which means there's a witch involved…great," Klaus mumbled. Just what he needed. A pack of unknown werewolves gunning for him for an unknown reason and attacking his sister on the day that he finds out he's having a son. Today was quickly turning from good to bad. The most important thing right now was to find the rest of these bastards. Until then, none of his family, not his sister, Elena, or his unborn son would be safe.

"Skasha I want you to get everyone on this immediately. I want you to track down whoever was behind this and I want them brought to me, alive," he told her.

"Got it. I'll keep you updated," the hybrid took off into the woods.

"Axel, help me get rid of these mongrels. And give me that collar," Axel handed over the metal bit to Klaus. "I'll get Aleksandra to see if she can find out whose magic is behind this. And I'd appreciate your discrepancy on the matter. If anyone can keep their mouth shut, I know it's you."

"Of course," Axel grabbed the two smaller wolves and hoisted them over his broad shoulders, blurring into the woods.

Klaus looked down at the creature. With his eyes glinting gold with malice, he took his foot and stomped it viciously into the wolf's skull.

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><p>AN: wanted to get this chapter out, have some light moments (I absolutely ADORED the doctor scene) & leave you with a little bit of a cliff-hanger. Next chapter may take a couple of days to update, as finals and papers are kicking my BUTT right now lol so wish me luck. As always, reviews + comments = a happy me ^.^ xoxo


	15. The Plan

A/N: Alright guys, so I managed to finish up my 10 page research paper in time to crank out another chapter :-) bit of a filler leading up to some action, but has some tasty bits so I hope you enjoy ;-)

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><p>Aleksandra studied the black metal collar at the kitchen isle as Klaus stirred up two mugs of hot with marshmallows. She sighed and began sifting through a large satchel on the counter.<p>

"Anything yet?" Klaus questioned anxiously, picking up a mug in each hand.

"Well I haven't done the locater spell yet Niklaus, I was trying to see if I could find anything out by just looking at it…damnit," she growled, pushing the satchel away in frustration. "I don't have everything I need to do the locater spell. I'll have to go back home to get the things."

Klaus nodded, then continued his trek to the living room. He found Rebekah curled up, asleep on the couch and Elena standing at the window, watching as a few snowflakes began to fall. He set one mug on the table in front of his sister, and pulled a throw off of the arm of the couch as he walked toward Elena.

She felt him approach her and turned her head slightly, smiling as he handed her the warm mug.

"Thank you," she said gratefully, and turned back to face the window. Klaus spread the blanket open and draped it around her shoulders, standing behind her as he peered out into the backyard.

"It's starting to pick up," Elena murmured and blew into the mug, observing the thick snowflakes that were now beginning to coat the grass. She let herself lean back against him, thinking about the current werewolf issue at hand. "So what now?"

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it," he said quietly in her ear, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. Truth was, he didn't quite know what was next himself. He planned on hunting down this witch, find out what she wanted, or rather, who she was working for, and kill her for being so foolish as to make a move against him. This was something that he wanted to do himself, but there was the issue of Elena. With the way things were going, he didn't trust leaving her alone with anybody for an extended amount of time. He sighed, accepting the fact that he would have to leave the job to his hybrid pack.

Elena watched as a figure appeared out of the treeline; a female-the one Klaus had referred to as Skasha earlier. She felt Klaus withdraw from her and return to the kitchen, opening the door for the female hybrid. Elena could hear the hushed voices coming from the kitchen, and turned to go investigate. As she entered, she saw Klaus slam his hand down against the isle, making it quiver.

"What's going on?" she asked, looked from Klaus to Skasha.

"We lost the trail," Skasha said disappointedly. "It was strong on the property, I don't know what…"

"Don't feel bad dear; I'm almost certain it has to do with these collars they were wearing. A powerful witch spelled them," Aleksandra interrupted. "But she's not _that _powerful. I can still track her. I'll call you when I find out anything Niklaus, I'll work as quickly as possible."

"Thank you Aleksandra," Klaus said quietly, making Aleksandra tilt her head slightly.

"The great Niklaus, thanking me for once," she chuckled as she walked toward the front door. "I'd never thought I'd see the day."

"Don't make me regret it witch," he growled lightly as she exited the house.

Elena smiled slightly and Klaus turned his attention to Skasha. "Where are the others?"

"Hunting," she replied, opening the refrigerator to pick up a bloodbag. She wrinkled her nose at the prospect of the cold meal.

"I was thinking the same," he took the bloodbag from her and placed it back in the fridge. Elena watched the female hybrids eyes light up. "I haven't been on a proper hunt in some time."

"Yesss!" Skasha happily jumped up in front of him and proceeded to run up the stairs to Klaus' room.

Elena turned her attention back to Klaus, a slight rose-colored tint to her cheeks. "So…what was that all about?"

"She's excited that I'm about to join them on a pack hunt. I rarely do," Klaus explained, ushering Elena back into the living room where Rebekah was just waking up. "I'll only be gone for a short while, Rebekah will you be okay here alone?"

Rebekah rubbed her eyes and looked to the steamy mug, picking it up gingerly. "Of course I will Klaus, don't patronize me."

"That wasn't my intention," he replied dryly as he turned to blur up the stairs. Elena sighed and sat beside Rebekah, sipping on her hot chocolate silently. Rebekah regarded her momentarily, before they both turned their attention to the ceiling, hearing a slight ruckus up the stairs.

"Don't be alarmed Elena," Rebekah stated, and Elena turned to look at her questioningly. Rebekah smiled in her mug and shot Elena a side glance, giggling slightly as she watched Elena's gaze turn to the two creatures that descended the stair and gasp in response, drawing her legs up on the couch like it would really help.

Elena watched as two wolves, one huge and black, one smaller and gray, entered into view. The gray wolf continued to the kitchen, while the black wolf, which Elena knew had to be Klaus, took a moment to look at her.

"Nik, don't freak the poor girl out more than you do on a regular basis," she shooed at him. He growled deeply at his sister, before turning to head to the kitchen. Rebekah sighed to go open the door for the two, and then returned to the living room. Elena peered through the window and watched as the two wolves bounded through the snow and into the woods. "He can be such an animal at times, and he loves it."

Elena sat silently for a moment, looking into her mug and contemplating something that had been lurking at the back of her mind since she'd seen the female hybrid beauty earlier. She could see how the two hybrids moved fluidly around each other, as if they were one in the same. The girl didn't really act formally around Klaus, nor did Klaus treat her as if she were just some ordinary foot soldier to him. Though Klaus had never mentioned the female to Elena before, she could obviously tell that she meant something to him.

Her curiosity got the better of her, and she turned to Rebekah, who had her head resting on the back of the couch. "Hey, what's the deal with them?"

"What do you mean Elena?" Rebekah asked tiredly, without even opening her eyes. Elena huffed slightly, and set her mug down on the table.

"Are they…together, or something?" as she spoke the words, suddenly everything seemed to make more sense now. Why Klaus hadn't been giving her much more than non-intimate looks or touches, why he hadn't been flirty with her…

Rebekah opened her eyes now to give Elena a wide-eyed look. "If I didn't know any better Elena I'd say you were turning green," she smirked.

Elena frowned at the vampire. "I am not jealous," she quickly retorted.

"You sure aren't making a case for yourself, being defensive and all," Rebekah teased.

Elena scowled, and looked down to her rounding belly, running a hand over it.

"You should ask Niklaus when he returns. He can explain it better than I can," Rebekah exhaled and let her head fall back to its original resting spot.

Elena wouldn't dare compare what she felt to jealousy, but something about how seemingly close the pair were _did _have some effect on her. Perhaps it was because she hadn't ever figured the hybrid as the type to actually _want _to have a significant other, and therefore had never considered the possibility of him having something with someone else. She'd never asked him, so why would he put forth the information. And even more, why would he bother telling her about it anyway? It's not like he was obligated to share anything like that with her… 'Even though technically we share a _child _at the moment…' Elena tried her hardest to stop thinking like this, because the way her inner monologue with herself was going, she actually _was _starting to sound a little jealous, even to herself.

"I don't give a damn, he can do whatever and whomever he wants," she mumbled, taping her fingertips against her belly.

Rebekah gave a small smile and shook her head.

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><p>Elena was tucked into her bed enjoying an early evening snooze when she heard her door creak open. She opened her eyes to discover a shirtless Klaus standing in the doorway, wearing grey sweatpants and drying his hair with a towel.<p>

"Back so soon?" Elena shut her eyes again.

Klaus smirked and walked to her bed. "It's been 3 hours, I told you I wouldn't be long."

"Have fun?" she questioned smartly, pulling the covers up closer to her chin.

Klaus tossed the wet towel onto her head, "As a matter of fact I did, Grumpy. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine Klaus," she snapped. "I'm always fine." Elena stopped to evaluate herself. Why was she in such a snit all of a sudden? These pregnancy hormones were doing a number on her.

"Well you look fine but you sure don't sound fine," he flopped on the space next to her. "Anything bothering you? You know, anything you'd like to know, or…"

"If you're beating around the bush to say that you talked to Rebekah and she told you I had something to ask you, don't." Elena opened her eyes to look at him sternly. She found him looking down at her amusedly.

"Don't play coy with me," he said plainly, and turned on his side to face her. "If you want to know what my relationship is with Skasha, all you have to do is ask me."

"Well lucky for you, I don't want to know," Elena said disdainfully.

"Well since you asked so nicely…" Klaus continued, making Elena groan in reply and put a pillow over her head. "She's my alpha female."

"And what does that even mean," Elena mumbled uninterestedly into the pillow.

"It means that she's in charge of my other hybrids when I'm not around," he grabbed the pillow to remove it softly from her face. "I trust her to do my bidding for most things because she's proven herself to be the most capable of them all."

"Lovely. Can I go back to sleep now?" she replied moodily, shutting her eyes tightly on him again.

"And despite what may be floating around in that thick head of yours, no, she is not my mine," he added, running his fingers lightly over her cheek. "She already has a mate. And besides, I have no interest in her in that way."

Elena opened her eyes to look at him as he now cradled her cheek in his warm palm.

"Though I must say, seeing you slightly jealous is a bit of a turn on," he taunted her. Elena pursed her lips together and shoved at the hybrid.

"I wasn't jealous," she grumbled as Klaus laughed heartily and slid under the covers, gathering her in her arms.

Elena found herself embracing him and his warmth welcomly-her body had been craving this kind of touch for months now, and though it may just be the hormones making her want and need it, it didn't change the fact that she felt good and safe being held like this. So for now, she would forget about what was right and wrong in her mind, because her body was clearly screaming out for physical attention. And she knew he was more than able to give her exactly what she would need.

She exhaled heavily on his chest, and was surprised as he spoke. "I missed this."

Elena looked up at him and frowned. _He _missed this? Then what seemed to be the hold-up? "Then why hadn't you done something about it sooner?"

He stroked her hair smoothly before smiling. "I figured you'd appreciate it more if I didn't push myself onto you any more than was already necessary. But I've been picking up on your body language for the past couple of weeks. Every time I touch you, even with the slightest brush of my fingers…" he ran his fingertips over her shoulder and up her neck, making her skin prickle. "See what I mean?"

Elena blushed hotly and shifted her gaze down to his lips. She ached to have them against hers. She slowly raised her hand to rest on his neck, and leaned forward to capture them with her own. She felt him respond achingly slow, so she ran her tongue along his bottom lip, begging for access. He granted it to her momentarily, before pulling away.

Elena panted semi-heavily as the hybrid attempted to regain his composure before he spoke lowly. "We can't."

She lifted her gaze to his, and felt the hot sting of rejection slap her in the face. She bit her lip and looked down at her stomach, tears welling in her eyes. She knew it. She knew she looked like a whale, and him rejecting her just confirmed her suspicions.

As if reading her mind, he tipped her chin up to face him. "But it's not why you think Elena. It's just…" she waited to hear him give her an alternate reason. "…it's not appropriate to…do certain things when a woman is with child."

Elena all but sputtered and burst out into laughter, rubbing away the tears that fell down her cheeks. 'Woman with child…he's _afraid _to have sex with me not because I look gross, because it's not proper!'

Klaus frowned at her, confused at how one moment she was kissing him, the next she was on borderline tears, and now she was laughing hysterically. 'What is wrong with this woman?' "I'd like to get in on this joke if you don't mind," he stated crossly.

Elena quieted her fit of giggling and looked to him with a grin. "You are such an old man, who _thinks _like that anymore?"

Klaus shot her an incredulous look. 'Old man? The nerve of this little girl…'

"This is not the Stone Ages," she giggled. "Besides, I've heard once before that pregnant sex is some of the best sex."

Klaus huffed. "And we won't be finding out either."

"Aw, come on, now whose being the grouch?" Elena teased, poking him in the cheek.

"I'm serious Elena, I don't care how much I may want you, I won't risk it," Klaus turned his head away from her.

'And yet he's still here, in the bed…' Elena eyed him, and took his hand, placing it on her stomach. "You won't hurt me or him. You'll just have to be gentle."

Klaus groaned. This girl was wearing down his resolve even thinner than it already was. He had to focus; werewolves and witches to worry about, Aleksandra hadn't called him back yet…And the feel of her hot skin pulsating beneath his fingers was making him ache deeply.

She took his chin between her fingers now, and turned him to face her. He looked into her soft chocolate orbs and he could feel his resolve melt away completely as he reached up to cup her face with his hands.

"God woman you'll be the death of me…" he whispered and pressed his lips deeply against hers.

Elena smiled as he kissed her fervently but gently, and ran one hand from her cheek to her breast, massaging it through the thin material of her t-shirt. Elena placed her hand atop of his and pushed it down to slide underneath her shirt.

Klaus smiled and pulled his lips away from hers momentarily. "Easy love, I got this," he slipped the shirt over her head, and smoothed his hand over her hair. He looked down to her swollen abdomen and rubbed his hand gingerly over it, before leaning her back into the pillows and kissing her neck.

Klaus basked in the taste that her skin was leaving in his mouth as he inched down her painfully slow. Every time he looked at her, it was physically straining for him to contain himself. He wanted her underneath him, writhing and making those beautiful sounds for him that he knew he could elicit from her throat. He reached her belly and peppered gentle kisses all over it, hoping that his son would know that he would never do anything to hurt him or his mother. Elena cradled his head against her as he continued to move down further, pulling her panties over her long legs, spreading her thighs tenderly and sitting back to marvel at her. Elena shifted nervously, but Klaus climbed over her carefully and loomed just over her lips.

"You are magnificent," he whispered, bending down to capture her lips softly as he guided himself into her. No matter what she said or how much she objected, in this element, she was all his. Hot and moist and gasping his name passionately, raking her nails against his back and shoulders as he thrust deep and steadily within her.

Elena felt Klaus' thickness fill her to the hilt with every push forward, and it was driving her mad with arousal. He rolled them over so that she lay on her side, and was amazed at how attuned he was to her body, knowing that he'd done it so that the pressure of their growing infant wouldn't become too uncomfortable for her. He hitched her leg over his hip and thrust upward into her.

"Klaus….ohh…" she managed to choke out, grabbing his hip to bring him closer. He could feel her beginning to close in on him, and gave a few sharp plunges deep into her, taking in her screams as he pushed her over the edge.

She trembled in the afterglow of her climax as he slowed his pace, massaging her womb deeply with his member as she listened to his deep growl rumble under his heavy breath.

"Elena…mmmm…" he made a vulnerable noise which turned her on even further, and she pulled him in close, kissing his neck and stroking his hair.

"That's right baby," she beckoned, wrapping her legs around his waist tighter and causing her heat to contract around him.

Klaus couldn't stop his shaky breaths from coming out; he'd never felt so close to falling into absolute oblivion before in his entire existence. With two more lengthy thrusts, he felt himself release into her, groaning in complete satiation as he held her close.

As he slowly pulled out of her, Elena felt him nuzzle into her arms and place a hand on her belly. Holding him snugly, she exhaled in utter satisfaction, feeling her stomach do somersaults…

"I can feel him," Klaus whispered, adjusting his hand to another spot and gently pressing. Elena stilled, and felt the slight but strong flinch in her belly as the infant responded to his father's touch. She smiled in amazement, and put her hand next to Klaus,' repeating the movement he'd just done. Sure enough, she felt a kick.

"This is…he's never done it so hard before just now," she looked in astonishment as Klaus rubbed soothing circles over her tummy.

"He's going to be a handful, just wait and see," he nuzzled back into Elena's arms, inhaling her scent.

Elena suddenly remembered something. "Klaus, wasn't Aleksandra supposed to call you back by now?"

Klaus frowned slightly against her skin. "She hasn't, I haven't heard my phone ring at all."

"Shouldn't you go call her?"

"I don't want to do anything that involves getting out of this bed and out of your arms," he mumbled, kissing her breast softly.

She smiled, and pulled his head away from her. "I know you're dying to find out about the witch…and to be honest, I am too. I'll still be here when you come back."

Klaus sighed, knowing she was right. He sat up and grabbed his sweatpants from off the floor, slipping them on lithely as Elena watched the strong planes of his body contort and bend in the shadow of the day. He looked out the glass walls, taking in the purple haze of twilight that was beginning to descend, and looked back to Elena. She gave him a benevolent look, and he couldn't stop himself from returning to the bed momentarily to give her one last kiss before going to retrieve his phone.

Klaus found his phone in Rebekah's room, where she was lying down atop of her bed, napping as well. He grabbed the phone off of her bedside table and sat on her bed, skimming through his phone. No missed calls, as he predicted. He glanced over to his slumbering sister as he dialed Aleksandra's number.

"Bekah," he called as the phone rang. Neither Aleksandra or his sister answered. He hung up and redialed the number, reaching over to grab his sister's side. She popped up immediately and swatted at his hand, glaring.

No answer either.

Klaus hung up the phone, and gave his sister a look.

"She hasn't called me either," Rebekah pushed the stray hairs that'd slipped from her ponytail away from her face.

"I'm gonna go over," Klaus stood, but Rebekah grabbed his hand.

"No let me go, I'll see what's going on," Rebekah slid from the bed and stretched.

"Rebekah, I don't think…"

"Stop it Niklaus. Just because I had a rough day earlier doesn't mean you can treat me like I'm some impotent porcelain doll," she demanded.

Klaus sighed. "Okay. Just…watch your back."

"I always do," she retorted, blurring out of the room. He looked to his phone and dialed Skasha next. She picked it up on the first ring.

"Yes Klaus?" she questioned softly.

"Did I wake you?" he asked, descending the stairs to the second floor.

"Dominic and I were just having a bit of a nap," she yawned. "What's up?"

"Seems like everyone was tired from earlier today... I need you to assemble a team of 7 pack members to get ready to track down this witch. I want Dominic to head the team."

"I'll let him know right away. Anything else?"

"No, that team should be more than enough, if anything it's overkill but I'd rather be safe than sorry. It's 6:30 now, be over here at 8 because Rebekah's going to find out the information from Aleksandra," he entered Elena's darkened bedroom to find her sitting up in bed, brushing her hair.

"Got it," she said briskly. Klaus hung up the phone and sat beside Elena.

"So what'd she say?" Elena asked eagerly.

"She didn't answer," Klaus responded apprehensively. "Rebekah's going to find out."

"You think everything's okay?" she grabbed the oversized shirt from beside her, slipping it over her head.

"I think that she should have called me a while ago, and for her not to have done so is odd," Klaus admitted, watching Elena as she gathered some undergarments from her drawer and headed to the bathroom.

"Need any help?" Klaus followed Elena into the bathroom slyly.

"I think I can handle it myself," she pushed him out of the bathroom as he chuckled, and closed the door. Klaus descended down the stairs to the kitchen, and put on a pot of water for some tea.

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><p>The hybrid's leg had begun bouncing up and down as he drank the last bit of his tea. He was anxious; Elena was taking forever upstairs, his sister was taking forever to call him…and looking at the clock, Skasha and the others had about 15 more minutes before they were going to be late. As if on cue, he heard rapture at the front door. He opened it to reveal Skasha and 7 other hybrids, patiently waiting. They all slightly bowed in respect.<p>

"Good evening gentlemen," he replied, letting the group into his home. Elena descended down the stairs then, and found an assortment of men; correction, _hybrids, _marching through the front door. They were of all different races and look, but one thing was for certain: they all looked fit and ready for battle. Skasha gave Elena a small smile before following the group into the living room, where they all gathered as Klaus stood in the middle of them.

Elena sat on the steps and watched as Klaus addressed them. "You all know what the situation is, and you understand the importance of finding this witch. Failure is not an option. Dominic will be heading you all, so I expect nothing less than success," he spoke charismatically. Klaus' phone rang loudly, interrupting his dialogue. Elena watched as he answered the phone and listened to the caller momentarily, before his eyes glinted gold with a ferocious rage. He spoke calmly to the person on the other line, telling them to return home immediately. He hung up, and Elena watched as he calmed his visage back to normal. "You will be going to Moscow, Rebekah has found a map indicating that's where she is…" he trailed off and closed his eyes, before growling angrily. "I want that bitch delivered on my doorstep alive so I can kill her myself. My witch…my cousin has been found dead."

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><p>AN: hoping to get the next chapter finished up and posted by tomorrow night, so be on the lookout :) xoxo


	16. Fear

A/N: alright guys, so my internet connection has been on the fritz, though it did give me time to whip up an extra chapter :) As always, reviews are loved!

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><p>Elena couldn't help but feel a sense of loss in the wake of Aleksandra's death. She was no stranger to the feeling of loss and mourning, and knew that neither was Rebekah or Klaus. She could see that the death of the witch was more symbolic than simply just another family member gone, as well. Klaus was on a man-hunt; or a witch-hunt, rather. Despite his calm demeanor, Elena could see the cauldron of rage that bubbled just below the surface. To ease his worries as well as her own, she'd begun to ingest small amounts of his blood daily to ensure that she would be in top-condition at all times. For her to fall ill at a critical time like this would be hazardous to her and everyone else.<p>

A little over a week after the Moscow plan was set in motion, Elena finally witnessed the cauldron boil over and spill. Skasha stood rooted in her spot as Klaus stalked around the kitchen, downing a glass of whisky and hurling the empty tumbler at the wall as he received the foreboding news she'd brought.

"What do you mean they're missing!" he shouted in a fit of rage. "How does 7 of my hybrids, some of the strongest men alive, simply disappear into thin air!"

"I…I don't know Klaus…but we haven't been able to make contact with them, and…"

"7 hybrids versus 1 witch, it makes no sense!" he stalked around in circles. "I should've gone; I _knew _I should've handled this myself…"

"I am sorry, sir…"

"Your apologies do nothing to fix the problem Skasha! If you want to do anything, you go out there and find your mate, my team and that witch!"

Skasha winced, and nodded. Elena sat at the isle, taking in the entirety of the scene. What struck her the most was the miserable look that Skasha had on her face. She obviously did not enjoy being scolded by Klaus, but there was more to it than that. She was scared; and it wasn't just the angry hybrid king that was spitting curses and profanities to the world that she was fearful of; it was the prospect of her mate, Dominic, being in danger… or worst.

At this, Elena stood up and slid off the stool, approaching the fuming Klaus. She walked in front of him and grabbed his arm softly. He jerked out of her grasp, but that didn't deter her.

"Klaus stop," she said firmly and grabbed his face with both of her hands, smoothing her thumbs over his cheeks as he glowered at her with cold steel orbs. "You need to calm down and regroup, because being irrational right now won't do any of us any good."

He looked at her for a moment, before reaching up to remove her hands from his face, but continued to hold them in his own. "Since you seem to be the most collected one out of all of us, you tell me Elena, what do we do now?"

Elena took a moment to consider an idea that she'd been thinking of. "Viktor and Aleksy are from Russia, aren't they? Maybe they could help us…"

"No," Klaus interrupted. "I don't want to bring any outsiders into this."

"She's right you know," Rebekah entered the kitchen, sipping a blood bag. "I'm sure they know their way around Moscow much better than any of us."

"What part of 'no' didn't get through to you?" Klaus snapped, letting go of Elena's hands to go to the refrigerator, pulling out two blood bags and putting them in the microwave. "But one thing's for certain…I need to go to Moscow to find my hybrids and that witch."

"When do we leave?" Skasha asked hesitantly.

"_We _are not going anywhere. You all will be staying here," he withdrew the bloodbags from the microwave and promptly opened one to drink.

"Wait a minute; you want to go by yourself?" Elena asked in disbelief.

"There's a difference between 'want' and 'am,' Elena. That's what I meant when I said 'you all will be staying here.' Honestly, you three act as if nothing is registering through your thick skulls today," he grumbled, finishing the blood bag quickly and opening the next one.

"You can't be serious Nik, Skasha just said…"

"I know what Skasha said Rebekah!" he bellowed, blood dribbling from his mouth and onto his chin. All three females flinched slightly as he exited the kitchen and went downstairs.

Skasha exhaled and rubbed her temples. "I don't know what's going on or what's happened to them….Dominic is never sloppy and neither are the others…"

"Don't pay Nik any mind, he's being a Class A Jackass today," Rebekah replied, finishing off her blood bag.

"And why shouldn't he be! We fucked up…we have fucked up SO bad…" The hybrids voice trembled.

"Hey stop coming down on yourself so hard, it's not your fault. It's not anybody's fault, only the person whose doing all of this," Elena rubbed Skasha's shoulder. "You want me to heat you up a blood bag?"

"I'm not hungry, thanks," Skasha sulked out of the front door. Elena sighed, and looked to Rebekah.

"What are we going to do with him?" Elena asked.

"Nothing. There's nothing you can do with him when he's in a mood like this, nothing but stay out of his way so you don't get hurt. I have to go do something with Zack anyways, so I suggest you stay clear of my brother too, until he calms down. I'd hate to see him unintentionally harm you or the baby while he's like this," Rebekah threw the empty bag into the trash and headed out the front door as well.

Elena was left standing alone in the kitchen, torn between going up to her room or going down the gym to confront the raging Devil below. As she approached the stairs, she could hear the sound of chains rattling; he was clearly giving the punching bag another beating. Pushing Rebekah's warning to the back of her mind, she slowly began her descent.

* * *

><p>Elena found that as she continued down the stairs, the room was completely enshrouded in darkness. She could hear her heartbeat pick up, but swallowed and continued until she felt that she had reached the bottom. She slid along the wall of the gym, trying to make out anything in the darkness.<p>

"Klaus?" she called out, looking around. She couldn't even see her own hand in front of her as she reached out into nothingness. She heard the chains rattle softly.

"You should've listened to my sister," Klaus bellowed, low and malevolently from the darkness. "Go back." She could hear him punching the bag again.

She swallowed thickly. "Not unless you come with me."

She could hear him chuckle slightly, and continue to berate the bag. "I said, go back. I don't want you here."

"I don't believe that," Elena spoke softly, continuing to edge against the wall. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness slightly, she could make out his silhouette across the room, standing tall and still. He suddenly blurred in front of her and slammed both hands on each side of her head. "Leave me alone!"

Elena narrowed her eyes at him and stood tall, refusing to back down. She could see his gold eyes flicker in the darkness, feel his hot heavy breath against her cheek. "I am not leaving you down here alone for you to self-destruct."

She felt the hybrid shift in front of her, growl, then sigh in frustration. Just as suddenly, she felt him withdraw from her, and the lights flipped on. She shut her eyes in discomfort and scrubbed them with her hands vigorously.

"Always trying to save someone from themself…" he trailed off as she watched him slide his back down the wall opposite of her. "When the truth is, you're the one that needs the most protection. And look how well that's gone so far. My cousin has been murdered, my hybrids have gone missing, my sister has been attacked, and you…"

"I'm fine!" Elena threw her arms up in exasperation, walking over to the worn hybrid. "_We _are fine! I'm standing here, in front of you, just as plain as day!"

"You don't get it Elena!" he shot up. "Every day that this witch is alive, every moment that passes by and I don't find out who's behind this is another moment where you both can be taken away from me!"

"You think I don't get it? I've been living like this for the past two years of my life!" she yelled, willing him to understand. "You may not be used to feeling like this, being at the disadvantage, but I _am. _And the last thing that you need to be doing right now is flying off the handle! I know you want so badly to protect your son…"

"It's not just him Elena it's you too!" he piercingly interrupted, grabbing her by her arms. "His survival depends on yours but that taken out of the equation, do you think I'd let anything happen to you?" Elena was shocked as she looked into his misty blue eyes. She saw something she never thought she'd ever see reflecting back at her-fear. Uncontrolled, raw fear. Klaus was afraid. He'd done everything to maintain his composure for the past week but now that the dam had broken, the emotion that Elena felt radiating off of him struck her to the core. And his words shot a chill through her. Apart from their deal, their arrangement…he actually gave a damn about her.

He shut his eyes, letting his hands slip from her arms. "Love is a vampire's…no, is _anything's _greatest weakness…I can't lose you Elena…I won't."

Elena sighed, and reached out to take his hand. He looked up to meet her eyes as she pulled him toward her and embraced him. "We'll get through this…" she murmured into his chest.

He embraced her back tightly, and rested his lips on the crown of her head. 'I hope you're right Elena…'

* * *

><p>Zack sat at the table, drinking his wine quietly as Rebekah chewed her salad and watched Chiara as she happily scribbled on an activity paper. She smiled at the child, before turning her attention back to her father, giving him a scowl as he placed a piece of pasta into his mouth.<p>

"What seems to be the problem Zack?" she questioned, growing impatient with his silence.

"I'm not sure what you're referring to dear," he looked up at her. Rebekah was not impressed.

"You haven't spoken more than 10 words to me this whole dinner, yet you wanted me to come with you and Chiara here," Rebekah folded her arms.

"I'm fine Rebekah, just a bit more tired than I figured I would be from a business meeting last night," he looked at her brazenly as he lifted his glass back to his lips. Rebekah narrowed her eyes, and sat her fork down with an audible clank, making Chiara look up to her.

"You know, you're a really shitty liar," she accused hotly. Chiara made an overly-dramatic gasping sound, and covered her mouth. Rebekah shot the child a look. "Your father says worse things than that so I don't want to hear a word out of you, do you understand?"

Chiara bit her lip and nodded, returning to her coloring.

Zack gave Rebekah an edgy look. "Well then, since you insist on the matter, yes. There is something bothering me."

Rebekah rolled her eyes. "Like I knew from the beginning. So what is it? A business plan fall through, one of your women acting out of line…"

"I heard you went out with Viktor the other day," he interrupted smoothly. "Funny, I didn't realize you two were spending time alone together nowadays."

Rebekah's eyes widened in surprise. "Surely you're not jealous, Zack?"

"And what if I were to say I was? Would it be the crime of the century Rebekah?" he asked her seriously.

Rebekah scoffed. "To tell you the truth, it's not becoming of a man of your status. Not to mention that last I checked, I wasn't anybody's pet, especially not yours. All of the women you have and you want to get all flustered over little ol' me. I'm not sure if I should be delighted or disgusted."

"You know how I feel about you Rebekah; you're different than all those others," Zack stated quietly.

"Yes, I know. I am _much more _than those peasants will ever be," she looked at her fingernails, brushing him off. Zack gruffed in response as Rebekah's phone began to ring, breaking through the tense discussion. She pulled it out of her purse, and smiled.

"Hello Viktor, we were just discussing you," she shot a look up to Zack, who looked at her in disbelief.

"Can you get somewhere quiet where we can speak?" Zack heard the Russian vampire speak through the phone.

"Of course," Rebekah drawled, looking to Zack as she stood. "If you'll excuse me."

Rebekah walked to the women's bathroom and stood in front of the mirror, smoothing a stray blonde lock. "What's this all about Viktor?"

"Where are you at now?" the vampire questioned.

"At Giovanni's downtown, why?" she asked inquisitively.

"Niklaus wants me to pick you up and bring you to the airport. We're headed to Moscow immediately," Viktor replied. Rebekah smirked silently to herself. 'Seems like Elena worked her charm on my brother yet again…' "I'm about two blocks away from you now. I'll see you in a moment."

Rebekah withdrew the phone from her ear, and left the bathroom. As she walked back to the table, she saw that another vampire had joined Zack and Chiara.

"Well hello there Ivan, what brings you by?" Rebekah asked non-caring.

Ivan bowed slightly to Rebekah in recognition. "Hello Rebekah, lovely as always. I was just stopping by for some of Giovanni's pie to go. Liked it as a human, love it as a vampire. Didn't expect to see you all here," he held up the box, which Rebekah gathered it to be a peach cobbler.

"Yes the pie is good here, isn't it," she grabbed her purse from the chair as Zack looked to her in confusion.

"Where are you going?" he asked woefully.

"Viktor called, he wants me to go with him to Serbia to check out a possible new club scene, you know, get a _real _woman's perspective on it," she winked, turning to walk out the door without a second glance back.


	17. Maeva

Elena sipped on a hot tea as she gazed out the window of their lavish hotel, admiring the beauty of St. Basil's Cathedral and the city itself. Though they'd now been there for about a week now, the allure of the city it never seemed to lose its appeal. She desperately wished that they had come here under different circumstances so that she could explore the snowy streets of the city rather than be confined to the hotel. As she heard the Klaus' low voice speaking on the telephone, she reflected on their journey thus far.

Today marked the 9th day of the search. So far, they'd not made much progress, though not for lack of trying. The first couple of days consisted of tracking down witches, or anyone who had connections to the magic world. This proved to be far more difficult than even Viktor had imagined. While on the plane, Viktor explained to them that it was a good idea for them to have brought him along as the people of Moscow were a very tight-lipped community when it came to witchery. While he knew of a few witches from back when he lived there, unfortunately they turned up to be literal dead ends. Those who they were able to track down were unwilling to help the group of vampires and hybrids find the mysterious witch, which lead them to a particularly daunting predicament, as compulsion wouldn't work on them because they ingested vervain and torturing them would make things even worse if word got around.

Now, more than ever, Elena felt like useless baggage. Of course, Klaus continued to ensure her that this was not the case, but she knew that the whole process would be so much more efficient had they not had her to worry about. She had not seen Viktor or Rebekah since their first night they'd landed in Russia, since they were on a 24/7 patrol. Skasha acted as the moderator between the two and Klaus, and Klaus, to his disappointment, had to stay in the hotel with Elena at all times, as Viktor reminded him that he'd made quite a name for himself and that if the witches caught wind that he was involved, they'd surely not offer up any assistance.

"It's completely out of the question Viktor, so figure out another way," Elena heard Klaus snap as he hung up the phone, and sigh. Elena felt Klaus come to stand at her side, and he promptly took the beverage from her, gulping it down.

"I was going to finish that you know," Elena frowned as he sat the now empty cup onto the table.

"I'll order you up another with your dinner," he shrugged. "What would you like?"

"The sirloin, medium well again. With the side of potatoes, veggies and a chocolate cheesecake," Elena answered quickly, trying to lift herself up to sit on the table's edge. Klaus smirked at her failed attempts, before carefully lifting her to sit on it as she wished. She smiled at him, before noticing that the hybrid had taken a step back and was studying her with a puzzled look. Her smile promptly faded. "What's wrong?"

"I hadn't really noticed until just now, but you've gotten bigger since we've been out here," he remarked.

Elena rolled her eyes, but put her hands on her stomach self-consciously just the same. "Must be something in the Russian steak," she giggled slightly.

"Perhaps," Klaus smirked and approached her, stretching a hand out to rub over her belly. 'Definitely bigger,' he thought to himself. "How's he been doing in there?"

"Well he's not as squirmy as he was, but he gives me a good kick or two throughout the day, especially when I eat or sip something spiked with your blood. I think he likes the way his daddy tastes," she laughed, ruffling the hybrid's hair.

Klaus looked up to meet her face, and smiled. "I'm glad you seem to be taking all of this in stride."

Elena's face fell a little. "Well, not that well…."

"What's wrong?"

"I just wish that I could get out of this room. Moscow looks beautiful, and I'm just itching to get out into it. I understand we're here for a reason, but all I do is sit around here, eat and sleep. No wonder you think I'm fat…"

"I don't think you're fat because you're _not fat_. But…."he entertained an idea for a moment, before shaking his head. God forbid he actually started to give Viktor's outlandish idea consideration.

"But what?" Elena immediately followed it up. Klaus growled slightly. He should've kept his damned mouth shut. Well, might as well tell her about it and shut it down all at once…

"Viktor and Rebekah got the bright idea to compel two human females to go speak with the witch and tell her that they have a friend who was raped by a werewolf and wants to get rid of the fetus discreetly. The witch seemed sympathetic and said she knows of a powerful black arts sorceress who could do it, but she wants to see the friend first," Klaus explained.

"And I'm the friend in this plan," Elena gathered. Klaus nodded. "That's actually not a bad idea."

"It's a fool's plan Elena. It's risky; the witch could be onto us and send us right into a trap," Klaus tiredly spoke.

Elena noticed, however, that he wasn't completely ruling out the possibility of it working. If this was her only shot at helping them find this witch, she owed it to herself and everyone else to give it a go.

"But, you know as well as I, that it's the first lead we've gotten thus far. Even if this sorceress she speaks of isn't the right one, she's a step up from nothing," Klaus admitted.

"I can do this," Elena stated. "I can help."

"Yes but you shouldn't have to," Klaus rubbed a hand over his face. Elena had never seen the hybrid so stressed out. This only strengthened her resolve to carry out the idea. She pushed the hotel phone toward Klaus as he looked to her.

"Call and order my steak. I'm gonna need energy to pull this off tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Elena climbed carefully into the limo, which was already carrying Rebekah, Viktor, and the two girls. Klaus entered behind Elena, and sat down into the seat beside her.<p>

"Hi Jessika!" the two blonde females chimed in unison. Elena looked to Viktor at first, who smiled slightly, then put on a fake smile and held up a hand in greeting to the girls.

"Jessika?" Klaus scoffed at Viktor. "She doesn't even look like a 'Jessika.'"

"Improvising, Niklaus," Rebekah scolded her brother, before turning her attention to Elena, smiling in surprise. "My nephew must really be growing in there, you're looking puffier than usual."

Elena blushed slightly, as Klaus looked down at Elena's belly. He touched it with a wide-open hand for a moment, before pulling back.

"After this is done, we're going to a doctor," he settled, folding his arms across his chest and closing his eyes.

"My next appointment isn't for another couple of months though," Elena argued.

"I don't care. Just to satisfy my curiosity, we're going," he said with finality, leaving no room for argument. Elena huffed, and sat back against the comfortable seats, resting her eyes as well.

* * *

><p>As the limo pulled up, Elena and Klaus woke with a slight start. Klaus looked around to discover that they seemed to be on the outskirts of the city, nestled in an alleyway.<p>

"Okay, the girls know exactly where the witch's shop is, they'll lead you straight to it. Remember, the cover story is that a werewolf raped you and he threatened to kill you if you got rid of the baby, so it's taken a while for you to find someone who could do it this way," Rebekah explained.

The hybrid wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Where the hell did you all come up with this sort of thing?" he asked incredulously.

"It was Rebekah's idea," Viktor quickly added. Rebekah shot him a look.

"Those crazy dramas on T.V. do wonders for the imagination. Now go on, we'll be waiting right here for your return," Rebekah opened the door. The two girls climbed out first. Elena gave Klaus a quick smile, before following them.

Klaus watched out the window as Elena and the girls disappeared round the corner, before he shot both Viktor and Rebekah a glaring look.

"Calm down Nik, I think this was our best plan yet," Rebekah reached out to touch her brother's knee in a comforting manner. He quickly shook it away, and turned his focus back out the window.

As the minutes ticked by, Klaus could feel the tension growing within as he had his palms were balled up so tightly, his fingernails cut into his skin. 'C'mon Elena…' he said to himself, biting his bottom lip. Suddenly, the three females came walking casually around the corner, Elena chatting with them cheerily. Klaus let out an audible sigh and opened the door for them. They stepped into the limo and took their seats, as Viktor directed the limo driver to the address of the girls. Klaus looked at Elena expectantly, who turned to give him a proud smirk, handing him a slip of paper with an address and a name-Maeva.

* * *

><p>AN: and here's that second chapter I was referring to. It was a quickie, not my fav, but a necessary one as things are about to start spiraling out after this. So, lets see where this cyclone takes us, shall we? xoxo


	18. Blinded

A/N: alright guys, a quick update as I may not get to another for a couple of days. Didnt want to leave you hanging though :D P.S. to RecklessFalcon- That's really cool that you're from there, I've ALWAYS wanted to visit and thats partially what made me choose it. and I hope I am not COMPLETELY messing up how Moscow really is! lol I had to google some things about it to get the locations semi-accurate so I hope Im not too far off the mark :-P Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

><p>Elena lay quietly on the exam table facing Klaus, who had his head leaning back against the wall, eyes shut.<p>

'He must be so tired…' she thought, bringing a hand up to ball against her lips. 'I wonder is he even sleeping well these days…' She noted the faint traces of bags under his eyes, eyes that were usually alert and sharp. She couldn't wait till this was all over. It was taking a lot out of him…out of all of them.

A small knock on the door alerted Elena that the doctor was about to come in. Klaus promptly opened his eyes and set his attention on the woman coming in the door. Elena adjusted herself onto her back, and gave the doctor a welcoming smile as she approached.

"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Ashworth, my name's Dr. Arsov and I'll be your sonographer today," she spoke kindly, washing her hands.

"Where'd you learn your English Dr. Arsov? It's very good," Klaus remarked, pulling his chair up so he could sit closer to Elena.

"My father was an Englishman so of course he taught me. Plus I attended Duke University in the States," she dried her hands.

"Duke huh? It's a lovely campus," Elena said, remembering it while searching through Isobel's research.

The doctor turned to look at her. "And you're obviously not from here," she giggled. "What brings you all the way here to Moscow?"

"Business," Klaus answered, watching as the doctor put on her gloves.

"Well, you must make time for a bit of pleasure as well, Moscow's a beautiful place," Dr. Arsov replied as she stood next to Elena. "I'm just going to examine your belly first before we get to the ultrasound."

"Sure," Elena lifted her shirt up for the doctor. Klaus watched closely as the doctor studied Elena's belly, rubbing and pressing into it gently with her hands.

"And what in particular brings you in today?" the doctor spoke as she continued her examination.

"My…_husband_ insisted on it," Elena glanced over to Klaus, who smirked at her comment.

"Call me a concerned father," he shrugged.

"Is this your first baby?" the doctor questioned.

"He is," Klaus said proudly, making Elena smile in content.

"Well mommy definitely seems to be healthy, and from what I can tell the baby's fine. But let's take a look on the ultrasound," Dr. Arsov pulled out the gel and began applying it to Elena's stomach.

Elena turned to Klaus and smirked. "See, I told you everything was fine, I don't know why we are even here."

"I didn't say anything was wrong Elena," Klaus replied, watching the screen intently as the doctor began adjusting the probe. Elena followed suit, and smiled as the infant came into view. Still as perfect as he appeared to be about a month ago. However, Klaus and Dr. Arsov seemed to be looking at the ultrasound intently.

Dr. Arsov's brows knitted slightly. "Everything looks normal, though…" she paused for a second, causing Elena to become slightly worried. "How far along did you say you were?"

"About 5 months now," Elena replied, turning to look at Klaus, who was still focusing on the screen. "Why, what's wrong?"

"According to your baby's development, there's no way possible that you're only 5 months along. His lungs are almost completely mature. You yourself aren't that big, but see here," she pointed to the empty space in the sac. "There's not too much more room in there. He looks to weigh about 6 pounds now, so I'd estimate that you're a heading into your 8th month of pregnancy."

Elena shook her head. "That's not possible, I haven't been pregnant for 8 months," she laughed slightly, looking to Klaus for support. He raised a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.

"Well, the first few months can be ambiguous; you may not have even known you were pregnant. And maybe the original doctor was basing how far along you were from you estimate. But he's definitely a healthy little boy from what I can see, so keep doing whatever it is you're doing," Dr. Arsov smiled.

"But…"

"Thank you very much Dr. Arsov," Klaus interrupted Elena, giving the doctor a smile as she took off her gloves and handed him a towel.

"My pleasure, and congratulations once again," she stood and pulled the curtain behind her as she exited the room.

Elena turned her attention straight to Klaus. "You know I haven't been pregnant for 8 months so why didn't you say anything!" she whispered loudly.

"I know that but I also know that you weren't this size about 3 weeks ago and no one changes that much that fast," Klaus replied hushed as he cleaned the gel from her stomach. "I hadn't really taken notice until yesterday, and then when Rebekah commented I knew I wasn't losing my mind."

Elena looked down at her stomach. It did seem a _little _bigger to her, though she figured it was just due to her eating more as of lately. But if Rebekah hadn't seen her in a week and could notice a change in the way she appeared, then maybe it was true. Also, Klaus' and Rebekah's objective opinion were one thing, but the ultrasound and sonographer wouldn't be incorrect as well.

A frightening thought entered Elena's mind. "Do you…do you think something's wrong with him and he's developing faster because he's…half hybrid?" she asked quietly.

Klaus finished cleaning her stomach and rearranged her shirt back down, pulling her up from her lying position. "No, I don't think that has to do with it. But I do think it has to do with you consuming my blood."

Elena stopped to consider this. Though they hadn't really thought that it would affect the baby much since her body seemed to react normally to it, it would make sense that if his blood could speed up the healing process it could also speed up the baby's development.

"I never even considered that it was a possibility…" Klaus helped Elena off the bed and ran a hand through his hair. "But it's the only explanation I can think of."

"It makes sense I guess…" Elena sighed, putting a hand on her stomach. "But if that's the case, should I stop taking your blood?"

Klaus paused to think about it for a moment, before shaking his head. "No, if anything it's helping him. I guess it just means that we'll be expecting him sooner."

Elena nodded. They'd have to speed up this whole witch business and get back to London as soon as possible.

* * *

><p>Rebekah jumped off of the bed as she heard the door open. To her surprise, it was Viktor and Elena who came through the door.<p>

"Where's my brother?" she questioned quickly.

"He went out to tap a vein with Skasha," Viktor replied casually, causing Elena to wrinkle her nose a bit.

"Aww, I wanted him to take a look at what all I picked up," she pouted, but nevertheless retrieved a gift bag from the corner.

Elena looked at her with interest. "What is it?"

"Well when I got the phone call telling me that my nephew would be here sooner than planned, I took the liberty to go pick him up a few things," Rebekah smiled, taking a seat on the bed and patting it for Elena to join. Elena smiled and took a seat, reaching into the bag. She pulled out a tiny blue fleece baby suit with a puppy stitched on the front of it.

"It's adorable!" Elena cooed, as Rebekah continued pulling out other items. She held up a pair of tiny matching fuzzy puppy booties, causing the two girls to squee.

Viktor rolled his eyes, and took a seat in the corner. "Women," he sighed, wishing for Klaus to return as quickly as possible. After about 5 more minutes of the constant giggles and 'awws,' his prayers were answered. Klaus and Skasha entered the room, looking perkier.

"Thank goodness you're returned," Viktor immediately stood up.

"Were my two ladies giving you trouble?" Klaus asked, amused at watching the girls sift through the baby items.

"Look Nik, aren't these adorable?" Rebekah immediately chimed in, holding up the tiny puppy booties for her brother to see. He took them from her, and stuck a finger in one of them, giving a slight humpf.

"They are cozy, but are you already trying to tease my son in calling him a dog?" Klaus drawled.

"I hadn't even thought of that Niklaus. But no, you're the only dog around here," she giggled and snatched the booties away from her brother, setting them on the bed.

"It's a good start, we didn't have anything," Elena smiled at Rebekah. "Thank you."

"Of course, that's what aunties do," she replied proudly, packing the things back in the bag. "There'll be plenty more to come just as soon as we get home."

"Speaking of which, we should probably head out to check on this lead we have," Klaus took the paper from his pocket and unfolded it, handing it to Viktor.

Viktor studied it momentarily before folding it up and putting it in his pocket. "It's in the Dorogomilovo District. It's not too far from here," he assured.

"Perfect. Alright girls, we're off then," Klaus announced.

Elena turned her attention to him, and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Just you and Viktor?"

"Yeah, don't you think maybe I should come along to?" Rebekah added.

"No I want you three to stay here where it's safe. You can continue your oogling over the baby clothes till we return," Klaus replied. Elena bit her lip and looked down at the carpet as Klaus approached her. He put a hand on her head and pulled it to rest against his stomach. "We'll be fine, and back before you know it."

Elena exhaled, and looked up to him. He gave her an easy smile as he cradled her face with one hand. "Be safe," she told the hybrid, then turned to look at Viktor. "Both of you."

"You've nothing to worry about Ms. Elena, I'll bring him back in one piece," Viktor said smoothly. Elena smiled as Klaus shot Viktor a dirty look. Rebekah stood from the spot beside her and approached Viktor.

"You'd better bring him back in one piece," she said assertively, then looking down. "And yourself…"

Viktor tucked a lock of Rebekah's hair behind her ear and lifted her chin, giving her a small smile. "Don't tell me you're getting soft."

"Never," Rebekah moved her chin out of his grasp, but he stepped closer and turned her face to his again, placing a small peck on her lips.

"Alright then," Klaus cleared his throat, stepping away from Elena and walking towards the door, grabbing Viktor by the arm and dragging him along. Rebekah and Elena smiled as the two men exited. Skasha made her way to sit by the window and peer out of it.

"Okay, so what was _that _all about?" Elena questioned slyly as Rebekah flopped onto the bed.

"Nothing!" Rebekah replied back defensively as Elena gave her a look. "I don't know…he's been growing on me more and more." She grabbed a pillow and hugged it.

"How sweet," Elena teased, poking Rebekah's cheek and laying back on a pillow as well.

"You've some nerve, giving Niklaus those doe eyes saying, 'Be safe.' Honestly, you can't tell me you don't feel something for my brother," she rolled her eyes.

"I'm carrying his child Rebekah, of course I worry for him," Elena said as-a-matter-of-factly.

"It's more than that and you know it," Rebekah gently hit Elena in the face with a smaller throw pillow. Elena snatched the pillow and returned the favor, causing the girls to giggle.

"You both can give up the act. It's obvious you both feel something for them and they for you too," Skasha added, continuing to look out the window. Elena sat up and looked to the hybrid female.

"Are you okay Skasha?" Elena asked warily.

"I'm fine…I just hope Niklaus and Viktor can find leads as to where Dom and the rest of the pack are," she sighed, wrapping her arms around herself.

Elena got off the bed and approached the hybrid tentatively, and let her hand stroke her thick curls comfortingly. Skasha found herself leaning her head on Elena's belly, then turning to give it a light poke.

"God Elena, that belly has gotten bigger," she giggled slightly, wiping away a stray tear that had fallen. Elena smiled and rubbed a hand over her belly gingerly. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The girls were torn from their moment as alarm began to set in. Skasha immediately stood and approached the door, looking through the peep hole.

Elena and Rebekah watched as the hybrid gasped, and quickly unlocked the door. On the other side stood a tall, tanned man with short dark hair. Elena recognized him as being Dominic.

"Dom!" she immediately threw her arms around the male hybrid, who stood still as a statue. Suddenly, the other 6 members of the pack came into view behind him. Skasha released her hold of Dominic, and looked up to him with wet, questioning eyes. "Dominic?"

She then spotted the heavy metal collar around his neck.

* * *

><p>Klaus and Viktor pulled up to a small, worn-looking house that matched the address on the paper. They could see a small light emanating from the window, signaling someone was home.<p>

"You ready?" Klaus asked, glaring at the house.

"Let's go," Viktor replied.

Klaus kicked in the door to find that an elderly woman sat in a rocker in the middle of the living room, watching the TV.

"Maeva?" he called out to the witch.

"I've been expecting you, hybrid. It took you longer than I'd thought it would," she replied sweetly, switching off the TV and swiveling in the chair to face the two. Klaus took a moment to observe the woman. She didn't look like any sorceress he'd ever encountered. The woman actually looked a lot like the typical old 'lady in a shoe' type grandmother. But as she opened her eyes, Klaus could see the evil begin to seep out. Even he felt himself shudder to the bone with the piercing crocodilian look she was giving him.

"If you've been expecting me, you sure haven't taken many precautions," Klaus noted, looking around, seeing nothing that would be of threat.

The witch scoffed. "Niklaus, you have been blinded by love. It's hard to see anything when you've let it mar your vision."

Klaus growled and blurred in front of the woman. "Enough talk. I want to know who you're working for and why you're doing this."

"I have plenty of reason to want you dead on my own Niklaus. Your existence in itself is a slap in Nature's face. And as a witch it is…"

"Your duty to restore balance, blahblahblah. But you're not doing this on your own. Someone put you up to designing those collars on those wolves. So, Maeva," he stooped to her level, and placed a hand on her frail knee. "How about telling me who it is?"

Maeva smiled at the hybrid. "Ivan commissioned me to design the collars, Niklaus. He wants the doppelganger for himself, and he wants that abomination of a child destroyed, as it would end the curse placed on the original Petrova."

Klaus narrowed his eyes. He knew that sneaky bastard had some screws loose up top, but he never imagined he was this far gone as to actually make a move against him. "Ivan had no clue that that's what the child would do," he growled angrily.

"On the contrary, he found out from Aleksandra before killing her," the witch easily replied. Klaus' eyes widened. Ivan killed Aleksandra. After all of the pleading Aleksandra had done to spare that dirty snake's life, _he _was the one to kill her. His own blood. Klaus' own family. "He left the map, knowing that you would send your hybrids out to find me. And capturing them was easy enough, with the large werewolf pack that I had control of." Klaus stood, towering over the witch, letting his face shift. "And when you and your little family decided to come out to Moscow, well…that made it all the more easy to capture that human girl."

'Human girl….' "Elena's back at the hotel safe…" he trailed off.

"And _your_ hybrids should be capturing her as we speak."

Klaus felt all of the breath escape his body. 'Capturing her as we speak…Elena…my son….' He left them. He shouldn't have left them…

Klaus let out a gut-wrenching roar as he struck the witch's' head with as much might as he could muster up. Her head let out a mighty crack and dangled to the side, blood pouring from Maeva's now dead mouth as her green eyes began to glaze over with death.

* * *

><p>Klaus and Viktor barged into the hotel room to find it dark and empty. There was blood smeared against the wall, the covers were strewn all over the bed, the mirrors cracked with glass riddling the floor. Klaus entered into the room further, hearing nothing but the audible crunch of glass beneath his feet. He found that the bag of baby clothes had fallen and been scattered about. He bent down to pick up the tiny puppy slippers and gripped them firmly in one hand, raising the other to cover his face. He'd failed them….<p>

Viktor took a whiff of the blood, and immediately recognized the scent as Rebekah's. He ground his teeth, letting his vampire visage come out as he punched a whole clear through the wall. He then turned his attention to the hybrid, who stood motionless in the middle of the room.

"Niklaus," he called out, extending his now-healing fingers and knuckles. "We have to go. Now."

Klaus stood there for a moment more, before he turned to face Viktor. Searing hot, angry tears streamed from his eyes as he lifted a hand to wipe them away, clutching the baby booties tightly to his un-beating heart as he headed toward the door.

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><p>AN: Major cliffy ;-) I hope you guys enjoyed it and dont hate me too much for leaving you hanging even more than last chapter. I expect there to be about 5 more chapters for the story to wrap up. Thanks for all of the reviews so far, i'm looking forward to your thoughts about this chapter and where things are headed to. xoxo


	19. Crossfire

A/N: so, my second to last exam went alot better than I expected today! In my excitement i was able to get an update out for you all before I start studying for my last one tomorrow :) Thrilled at the reviews I got for the last chapter! So I hope you all enjoy this one as well, xoxo

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><p>Klaus stood in front of the fireplace, looking into the glowing pit of embers as he drank deeply from his glass of whiskey and listened as the last of the vampires entered his leaving room.<p>

"Where's Zack and Ivan?" Nicole questioned Viktor in a hushed tone as Siophan took a seat next to her.

"Zack said he'd be right over when I spoke to him," Viktor replied, turning his attention to the hybrid. "Shall we start without him Niklaus?"

Klaus gulped down the rest of the whisky, closing his eyes as the liquid burned a trail down his throat. He quietly turned to take a seat amongst the group, running his finger along the edge of the glass as they waited for him to speak.

Nicole cocked her head slightly, looking at the nonresponsive hybrid with concern. "Klaus what's going on?"

He took a moment to inhale before looking up at her. She felt herself shrink slightly at the immense anger she saw in his eyes.

"Ivan has taken Elena, Rebekah, and the hybrids," Viktor announced to the group. They all turned to look at him in disbelief. "He ambushed us in Moscow."

There was an immediate uproar of simultaneous responses from the vampires.

"What?" Aleksy growled at his brother. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Huh? There's no way he would be so stupid!" Siophan shouted.

"So that's who was behind the werewolf attack?" Axel asked.

"What? What werewolf attack? What the hell is going on right now!" Nicole yelled, looking between Axel and Klaus.

"Enough!" the hybrid roared, gripping the glass in his hand so tightly that it shattered. Everyone immediately hushed, and looked to him. He looked into the faces of the vampires, and grimaced, brushing the glass from his healing hand. "He's kidnapped my sister, my hybrids, Elena…." He bit his lip and clenched his fists, willing himself to stay in one piece. "He has my son."

The group silently looked to one another, before Klaus continued. "This isn't about loyalty, or betrayal…this is about my son. If anything happens to him or to Elena…" he took a moment to exhale shakily. "You…you're the closest things I have to friends. I did not want to get you all involved in this…but I don't have anybody else to turn to."

Everyone was silenced for a moment, before Nicole spoke. "What do you need me to do?"

"You don't even have to ask," Aleksy said.

"Me too," Siophan stated.

"Where is this son of a bitch?" Axel growled.

Klaus looked at them all gratefully, before turning to Viktor.

"We sent out the remaining 5 hybrids to search his known estates. Thus far, nothing has turned up," Viktor sighed.

"I was hoping one of you may know something more, maybe you had spoken with him recently?" Klaus asked them. They looked around to one another, shaking their heads.

"I haven't seen him since the banquet," Aleksy replied.

"Me either," Axel said gruffly, rubbing a hand over his face.

Siophan sat there in thought for a moment, before lifting her head and narrowing her eyes. "You know…if I'm not mistaken, when I was speaking to Zack the other day I could've sworn I heard Ivan's voice in the background…"

Viktor immediately looked to Klaus. "I don't know if it's relevant, but on the way to the airport Rebekah told me that she'd bumped into Ivan at Giovanni's while she and Zack were there, though he was just getting pie…"

"Which brings us back to my original question, just where the hell is Zack," Nicole looked up to Niklaus, whose eyes now grew gold and angry as the thought began to enter his mind.

'Zack…he wouldn't…' the hybrid ran a tongue over his extending fangs; his body clearly wasn't listening to his inner thoughts at the moment. He growled deeply as his body tensed up.

Lifting his head high, he addressed the group grimly. "Continue the search for Ivan. I will personally go speak with Zack."

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><p>Klaus found that while Zack had assured Viktor he'd be over shortly, he was actually still at his Westminster estate. Niklaus unceremoniously twisted and broke the handle, pushing the door in. He spotted a handful of suitcases sitting by the front door, and glanced up the staircase to find Zack, peering down on him from the second level of the house.<p>

"Good evening, Niklaus," the vampire smoothly spoke.

Klaus looked up at Zack crossly before shutting the door behind him. "Going somewhere, Zack?"

"Actually I was packing up bags for Chiara," Zack ran a hand through his dark locks, before beginning his descent down the staircase. Klaus watched him as he reached the bottom, and casually continued into the living room. "She's going on a trip with Serafina to Italy for a few weeks."

Klaus tersely followed Zack into the living room, watching as the vampire fixed himself a drink at the wet bar. "I wasn't expecting you over so soon."

Klaus scoffed as the vampire proceeded to take a seat on the opposite side of the room. The hybrid looked to the wet bar, before picking up the bottle of brandy and pouring himself a glass, gulping it down in one fluid motion. He then turned to give the vampire a piercing look. "I only have one question for you," he walked to stand in front of the warm fireplace, then threw his hands up. "Why?"

Zack nipped at the edge of his glass, before taking a sip and setting it down on the table in front of him as the hybrid continued to speak.

"I've done nothing but be a friend to you, for all these years. And yet you resolved to help that dirty son of a bitch," he looked at Zack stonily. "So what was your motive?"

"Nothing even close to what Ivan's were," he admitted. "When Ivan went to Aleksandra and found out that you were aiming to break the doppelganger curse, he was enraged. He thought that you were trying to completely wipe away any traces of Katerina from this world," Ivan paused, regarding Klaus. "The selfish bastard wanted your doppelganger and your hybrids. He's always been jealous of you, but you know that."

"And you Zack?" Klaus asked, taking a couple of tentative steps towards him.

"You know I'm not as irrational as that idiot. My motives are pure and simple. You were a great vampire Niklaus, one of the finest I'd ever known. But what you have become is an insult to my race," he looked at Klaus with disgust. "I am in complete agreement with the witches; hybrids should not exist. And yet, here you are. Creating your own master race, trying to dominate over everything else. I heard the stories of your rampant acts in the United States, like a rabid dog on the loose. You are too unpredictable and too uncontrollable to be allowed to have such power. Mikael would have done the world justice by ending you when he had the chance."

"Don't ever speak that Devil's name to me," Klaus hissed, blurring in front of Zack and looking down upon him.

"And there you go again with you air of superiority. You truly are a modern-day Hitler, and no better than those low-life mongrels you're descended from," Zack spat as he stood up to Niklaus, showing no fear.

"If your quarrel was with me, you should have left my family out of it!" he snapped angrily in Zack's face.

"And you should know better than anyone that there are casualties of war, and if your family has been caught in the crossfire, you have no one but yourself to blame!" Zack raged in reply.

"Daddy, what's going on?" Chiara suddenly appeared in the living room, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Go back to bed sweetheart," Zack said sternly, never breaking eye contact with Klaus.

Just as fast as Zack blinked, Klaus had blurred over to the tiny girl and snatched her up by the back of her neck, his face shifting. "Family in the crossfire huh? You want to know what it feels like Zack?" he growled venomously as the girl screamed and writhed in his grasp. Zack's eyes widened as he reached a hand out.

"Put her down Niklaus!" Zack suddenly pleaded.

The hybrid grinned, baring his fangs. "Oh, so you and Ivan can take my son away from me, but as soon as I take your daughter…" he squeezed the girls' neck tighter, making her squeal in pain. "You're singing a different tune."

"Let her go! I'll tell you anything, just don't harm her!" he yelled desperatly.

"Where is Ivan?" Niklaus lifted the girl off of her feet, edging his fangs to her neck.

"Bristol! He's at my manor in Bristol that's where they are at! I beg you, please let her go Niklaus!"

Klaus promptly released the girl to drop haphazardly onto the ground. Zack rushed over to check on the crying child.

"It's okay baby," he petted the child's head soothingly.

"It's far from okay," Niklaus bellowed, grabbing Zack up by the neck and plunging his hand into the vampire's chest. Chiara screamed as Klaus ripped out the vampire's heart, and dropped them both onto the floor in front of the child. The nanny, Serafina, finally appeared into the living room.

"Dios mio!" She cried out, turning around to flee. Klaus easily caught her by the arm.

"Go get the child," he growled, compelling her swiftly as he made his way up the stairs to Zack's bedroom. He opened the closet and sifted along the walls until he felt a small door. He opened it, and snatched the door off of the safe that was hidden behind the wall, snatching two thick stacks of cash and returning down the stairs. As he entered the living room, he was berraded by tiny kicks and punches.

"I hate you Uncle Niklaus! I hate you!" she screamed hoarsely, attacking Klaus' shins with all of her might. Klaus bent down and stilled her motions, gripping her chin between his bloody fingers firmly.

"You will forget all of this; you will forget your life here with Zack, and go with Serafina to Italy. You will be a good girl and obey her, do you understand?" he carefully compelled the child. She immediately calmed, and nodded her head silently. He let her go, then approached the nanny, handing her the money and catching her gaze. "Take the child and go to Italy, forget all of this and never return to this place again."

Serafina nodded, and Klaus sighed, brushing his hands onto his jeans and pulled out his phone, dialing Viktor. He picked up on the first ring.

"They're at Zack's Bristol Manor. I'm heading there now." He hung up the phone and promptly sped out the door.

'Hold on Elena…'


	20. Savior

A/N: I know, Im supposed to be studying...but couldn't help myself :) I had to get this one posted before the weekend. My fiance is coming home for Xmas (he's a Marine) on Saturday, and I did NOT want to leave you guys or myself hanging, as I'll be preoccupied with family stuff once he arrives. For me, this was a REALLY hard chapter to write; I am not too good at the whole action thing, but I hope its not too bad. So, hope you enjoy, and gimme all the feedback you got! xoxo

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><p>Elena sat at the large dinner table, scowling down at the empty plate in front of her. Ivan was sitting next to her, sipping his cup of blood down languidly. She gave him a repulsed look, and settled on staring back down at the spotless plate. She'd been there for a little over a day or so, from what she could tell, and he'd yet to offer her anything to eat. Yet he forced her to sit at the dinner table while he drank his fill of hybrid blood that he collected from them almost hourly.<p>

She closed her eyes, and touched her stomach gently. She was running low on energy and so was the baby; he'd barely made any subtle movements since they'd been taken, and she found herself poking her belly in various spots just to get him squirm inside of her, assuring her that he was okay and that she wasn't alone.

Ivan turned to look at her, and smirked. "Still trying to comfort that hybrid brat I see. How's he fairing, without food and all?"

Elena snapped her gaze onto Ivan. "Is this your big plan? Starving me to death?" she hissed in anger.

"Not you, dear Elena. But that revulsive creature inside you, yes. Had Maeva not been killed, I'd have her destroy the cursed thing. But since that's not an option, I figure this will work just as well eventually."

"You can't hurt him without hurting me," she spat, balling her fists angrily. This sick freak had reached new heights of crazed.

"On the contrary, he will perish far before you will, just you wait and see. I can't take any more…drastic measures to rid you of him as you would probably die in the process. Internal bleeding, perhaps…"

Elena flinched slightly as he continued to speak. "I'm still shocked that you would allow yourself to be soiled by that damned hybrid's dirty seed. Katerina would have known better."

"I am not Katherine!" she yelled, but suddenly clutched her belly in pain.

"Ah, you're having that pain again I see. Continue on with your raging screams, you'll speed up the process of killing the infant even quicker," he smiled, standing from his seat and signaling for one of the three hybrids that stood against the wall, waiting for his command. Elena watched as Skasha stepped forward, adorned with a heavy metal collar against her neck. "Escort Elena up to her room. I'm done seeing her for the night."

Skasha nodded her head and grabbed Elena by her arm, dragging her from the seat. Elena tried to keep up with Skasha's pace going up the stairs, but found herself wincing as the pain settled in stronger.

"Skasha please slow down," she begged, clenching her jaws as she rubbed over her stomach.

"Quiet," the female hybrid snapped, dragging Elena even more roughly up the stairs until they reached a bedroom. She opened the door and pushed Elena in, closing it behind her.

Elena finally reached the bed, and gingerly sat down.

"Shhhhh…it's okay, it's okay…." She whispered, trying to sooth her pained stomach. She didn't know what the pain was coming from, but it had started almost immediately after the hybrid's had snatched her and placed her in the car to be sent to Ivan. The pain seemed to start every time she was either angry or crying, so she'd been trying her best to keep herself calm, given the circumstances. But this time, the pain wasn't simply going away.

Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she balled up on her side, continuing to stroke her stomach in an attempt to sooth the infant.

'Where are you Klaus…'

* * *

><p>From a distance, Klaus peered up at the hilltop heatedly. He could smell that the grounds were covered with werewolves and hybrids. But faintly, he could also make out the Elena's scent. He gritted his teeth, and turned to his party of vampires and remaining hybrids. They looked at him, eyes gleaming with anticipation.<p>

"I gather you all can sense just what all we're up against. There are 7 hybrids, and who knows how many werewolves around this place," he rumbled lowly. "Fight to kill. Even the hybrids. If they come for you, all's fair game."

They all nodded in agreement.

"We'll clear the way as best we can, you just focus on getting in there and getting Elena," Axel said curtly, letting his vampire visage come out.

Klaus nodded, and watched as they blurred towards the mansion. He narrowed his eyes, letting his fangs descend. He couldn't wait to get his fangs on Ivan to rip his throat out. Hearing the first cries of death echo through the darkness, he began the bloody trek up to the manor.

* * *

><p>Rebekah pulled wearily at the chains which bounded her to the dungeon walls beneath the manor. Her bloodied ankles and wrists sizzled and burned with every tug; the chains, bars and shackles were all covered in vervain. And to make matters worse, that bastard Ivan had injected her with vervain as well, draining her of almost any strength she had left. She could hear Elena's cries from upstairs. They weren't cries of sorrow or fear, they were of pain. Hearing them become even more frequent was worrisome. She silently prayed that nothing was wrong with Elena or her unborn nephew, but as she heard Elena's gasp and subsequent screams of pain, she knew something was terribly wrong.<p>

"Elena!" She screamed, tugging at the chains with all of her might. They weren't being moved at all. She groggily stood to her feet, and charged at the bars, being violently jerked back by the chains. "Let me go! Let me help her! Please!"

The chains continued to burn into her skin with even more ferocity. Rebekah collapsed on the dusty dungeon floor, curling up and crying without restraint now. Elena would die because she was weak. Her nephew would die because she couldn't save him. An Original, one of the strongest vampires alive, chained like a slave in the dungeon of a twisted psychovamp. What her mother think of her now….

Suddenly, the sounds of blood-curling howls and screams echoed through her head. She lifted her head slightly, trying to hone in on whether the sounds were real or in her subconscious….they were real. She inhaled in deeply, and could just barely make out the scent of her brother. He was getting closer…he was coming to save them.

"Nik…." She smiled slightly, before passing out on the cold ground.

* * *

><p>"Sir, Niklaus and a group of vampires and hybrids are approaching the manor," a hybrid quickly announced to Ivan, who sat in the large parlor.<p>

"I see…well then, you know what to do, kill them. Skasha!" he called out hostilely. The female hybrid quickly ran to his side.

"Yes sir?"

"It seems that Elena is going into labor. Kill the spawn as soon as it's born."

* * *

><p>Elena heaved in and out, gripping the sheets of the bed in agony. She felt the gush of water, and intense pain following. There was no question about it-she was in labor. Her son was about to be born in this hellhole and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop it.<p>

"It's too soon…" she cried out, biting her lip as another contraction raked her body. Her vision was becoming spotty with every contraction, her insides felt as if they were constricting and turning inside out.

"I can't do this….I can't…." she thrashed her head from side to side and let out another scream, sweat and tears drenching her face. As the contraction slowly ebbed away into a pause, she reached down and could feel the crown of the infant's head. Clarity swept over her-she'd watched enough TV to know that if she didn't get him out, he would not survive.

'We'll survive this.' Gritting her teeth, she readjusted on the bed and readied herself to push with the next contraction.

* * *

><p>Rebekah felt warm liquid trailing down her throat as her eyes began to flutter open. She was met with the sight of Viktor, who was cradling her in his arms, offering his blood to her. She began to lap at his life force, taking just enough to where she could stand. Immediately, she noticed that she was no longer shackled to the wall, and her wounds were beginning to heal.<p>

"Where's my brother Viktor? Elena needs us!" she grabbed at his arms frantically, looking around him for any signs of Klaus.

* * *

><p>Klaus savagely ripped out the spine of the last hybrid standing between Ivan and himself, panting heavily.<p>

Ivan lightly applauded the blood and dirt covered hybrid. "Bravo Niklaus…I never figured you would fight so hard for this one girl."

Skasha stepped out of the shadows, putting herself between Klaus and Ivan. Klaus sharply inhaled, seeing his alpha beauty looking at him malevolently.

"Skasha…"

"She's mine now Niklaus. Another one of your precious women that I've obtained," Ivan smiled wickedly. Klaus charged Ivan, but found himself being tackled down by Skasha, who snapped dangerously close to his face with her fangs. Klaus threw her off quickly, and narrowed his eyes.

"I don't want to kill you but I will," he warned gravely. She only smiled in response.

* * *

><p>Rebekah and Viktor made their way quickly up the stairs to find Elena on the bed, breathing erratically.<p>

"Oh my God…Viktor stand outside the door and guard," Rebekah quickly snapped, blurring to Elena's side.

Elena opened her bleary eyes to see the blonde vampire standing over her. She felt her cool hand on her searing hot stomach.

"Push Elena…c'mon you can do this, he's almost out."

Elena pushed through the pain and barred down on the bed, giving everything it she had.

* * *

><p>Klaus slammed Skasha against the wall and she slumped to the floor, passed out. He then set his fiery blue sights on Ivan, who stood there glowering.<p>

"You will not take Katerina away from me Niklaus! You will not get to live a fairytale life with the doppelganger and that demon child!" he yelled out furiously. Klaus watched out of the corner of his eye as Skasha stood, and the room stilled as a faint cry echoed through the mansion.

Klaus' eyes widened at the sound. It was faint…but that was his son. With renewed vivacity, he roared and charged towards Ivan, digging his fangs into the vampire's throat viciously while ripping his heart out. As he pulled back, he noticed that Skasha was nowhere to be found.

* * *

><p>Elena could hear the faint cry of her son, but couldn't muster the energy to open her eyes.<p>

"You did it…he's beautiful Elena," Rebekah's voice echoed. Elena smiled slightly, trying to fight off the dark coldness that kept pulling her from consciousness. She heard a muffled drop, and a door open….she opened her eyes faintly to see Skasha in the doorway, and Rebekah holding the infant defensively against her chest, before the world faded out again…

'Rebekah…keep him safe…'

In the next few moments, she heard another muffled drop, and the shaky cries of her son. She willed her eyes to open again, and saw a bloodied man with golden locks towering over her, holding a small bundle in his arms. Her Savior.

"Klaus…." She murmured weakly, before being consumed by the welcoming arms of the darkness.


	21. Love

A/N: Alright guys, second to last chapter! Hope you enjoy!

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><p>Hushed voices….a steady beeping….a tiny whimper….<p>

Elena's eyes began to flutter open, and she was met with an unbearable bright light. She winced, lifting her arm to cover her eyes quickly, before feeling a sharp pain in her wrist. As she began to come around, she came to recognize that she was in a hospital. More correctly, she was in a hospital bed with an IV tethered into her vein. She followed the line of the IV up to a clear saline bag, then immediately turned her attention to the clear bassinette which sat a small distance away from her. As she watched closely, she could see a slight movement amongst a cocoon of blue blankets. She desperately tried to sit up, but found it to be a daunting task; Her limbs felt weak, and her eyelids still heavy.

"He's okay," she sighed wearily in relief.

"Of course he's okay," a deep voice emerged from the corner, causing Elena to gasp in surprise and snap her head in the opposite direction. "He's more than okay; he's perfect."

Elena felt her heart slow slightly as she exhaled. "You almost gave me a heart attack," she giggled lightly.

"It's only fair, as you've almost given _me _a heart attack with this whole passing out, small coma thing you've been doing for the past two days," he spoke calmly, walking over to the bassinette.

"Two days?" Elena said in disbelief.

"Yup. A modern day sleeping beauty…though honestly I could have done without all of the worrying you've put us through. I'll have gray hairs before you know it."

Elena managed to sit up more comfortably in the bed, closing her eyes and briefly remembering what all had transpired up to this point. Ivan…hybrids….the baby. As she opened them back up, she found that Klaus had picked up the swaddled bundle from the bassinette, cradling him gently in his arms.

"You ready to meet your mommy? She's been dreaming about you, you know," he softly spoke to the bundle, walking slowly over to Elena. Elena took a deep breath in, nervous butterflies fluttered in her stomach as the hybrid stood next to her, giving her a small smile before lowering the infant down into her waiting arms.

As Klaus settled him into her arms, she felt her heart immediately skip a beat as her warm brown eyes connected with his cool gray ones. He was awake, and not just looking at her, but looking into her. Soft, round rosy cheeks and a set of perfect, pouty lips adorned his tiny content face. Wisps of brown curls peeked from underneath his tiny blue baby cap. He felt heavy and solid in her arms.

Klaus took in Elena's breathless expression with a warm smile. "I told you. He's perfection."

Tears of happiness began to stream down Elena's face. He was beautiful. He was everything she'd dreamt of and more. And most of all, he was here, in her arms, alive and safe.

"I…I just can't believe he's here…"

"All thanks to you, of course," Klaus stroked Elena's head gently. "You were brave to go through it alone; I can't even begin to imagine the pain you endured Elena…" he paused, sighing heavily. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there sooner for you and him."

Elena shook her head, taking a finger to gently stroke the baby's cherub cheeks. "Don't be sorry Klaus…everything that I went through was worth it." She looked up to Klaus. "Where are Rebekah and the others?"

"Rebekah went to go grab a bite to eat. She'll be thrilled to see you awake when she returns," he replied.

"And Skasha?" Elena quickly followed. She noticed that his demeanor shifted slightly, as he reached over to touch the infant.

"She's dead," he spoke quietly, watching as the infant squirmed and whined slightly. He immediately turned to go to the bottom of the bassinette, searching for something. "It's about time for him to eat again. He's a little porker; he eats like nothing I've ever seen."

"Must get that from me," Elena giggled jokingly. Klaus growled slightly, standing up empty handed.

"There's no more formula. I'll go get some more," he quickly stated, heading for the door.

Elena looked down at the infant, who watched her inquisitively and expectantly.

"Klaus wait a sec," she spoke just as he was about to exit. "Let me give it a try."

He looked at her in slight surprise, but proceeded to shut the door as Elena pulled off a sleeve of the hospital gown.

"It can't be too hard, right?" she looked up to Klaus for some signs of reassurance.

Klaus shrugged slightly. "I can remember my mother doing it for Henrich when he was an infant, but I didn't sit there and take notes."

Elena smiled, and proceeded to adjust the baby to her nipple. To Elena's surprise, he latched on quickly and began sucking vigorously.

"Wow…you are a strong one aren't you," she said in amazement, leaning back into the pillows to get more comfortable. Klaus pulled up a chair to sit close and lay his head on the edge of the bed, watching quietly as he fed. Elena looked from the baby to Klaus, smiling at the similarities she could already see between them. She reached her free hand out to stroke Klaus' head gently. He smiled, and let his eyes close slightly, enjoying her touch.

Their brief moment was interrupted as a light knock came on the door, followed by a plump, stout lady peeping her head in the room.

"Hello there, I was just coming to bring more formula…" the nurse entered the room, but stopped at the bassinette. "But I see you've mastered the art of breastfeeding quickly!"

"Not so much me as he has," Elena smiled gently down at the baby boy, who was beginning to nod off into a light snooze as he fed.

"Well I sure am glad you've woken up, your husband was so worried about you. You two make a lovely couple, and an even lovelier child," the nurse smiled widely.

Elena blushed slightly, seeing Klaus open his eyes to peer up at her. "Umm…thank you," Elena nodded her head.

"Well I'll just leave you two to it. I'll leave the formula just in case," she sat the bottles at the bottom of the bassinette, and proceeded to exit.

There was a slightly awkward silence that followed. Klaus made the first move, by simply tilting his head into Elena's hand more. Elena's soothing motions had stilled, however. She sighed, withdrawing her hand to cover herself back up, and almost instantly he knew what would come next.

"We need to talk about this…"

"Can it wait until later, Elena? Please…" he mumbled into the mattress in frustration.

"No, it really can't," she shook her head, determined to speak her mind. Unbeknownst to him, she'd been giving the issue of their arrangement some serious thought over the past week. The kidnapping situation with Ivan, however, brought the issue to a head.

Looking down at the baby, she sighed deeply. "Going into this, I had such a clear image of how things were going to be. We were supposed to have sex, I was supposed to get pregnant, have the baby…then you were to wipe my memory clean and return me to Mystic Falls to be with my family," she looked at him to find that he was looking at her almost dejectedly. Swallowing, she continued. "But this…" she looked down at the baby once more. "This wasn't part of the plan Klaus," her voice began to crack. Her resolve to make it through without getting emotional was quickly crumbling as she looked onto the angelic face of the infant. "I wasn't supposed to fall in love with him…or with you."

Klaus felt his breath hitch in his throat. Fall in love with him….love him, the unlovable, monstrosity…

"Or with Rebekah for that matter," Elena lifted a hand to wipe away her tears. "Or everyone else that has helped me along the way. I wasn't supposed gain a family…" she trailed off, sniffling up to finish getting her thoughts out. "And now, I'm sitting here holding my son…._our _son, and I know that I can't leave him. But I also know that I can't just leave and forget my family back home Klaus, and I'm stuck in the middle of this hopeless situation having to choose, and…"

"Shhhh," Klaus gently pressed two fingers against her lips, and wiped her excess tears away from her face. He could see that she was on the cusp of falling apart, being torn in two with this decision. He leaned in to press a kiss to her lips gently, before continuing. "You don't have to choose between anything Elena. We'll find a way to make it work. I promise you that."

"But how Klaus?" she asked exasperated. "How in the hell can you promise me something like that?"

He gave her an amused look. "Come on Elena, after everything both you and I have been through, both with and against one another, you honestly believe that we can't find a way to make this work?"

Elena sniffled again as he tilted her chin upward, giving her a fuller kiss on the lips. "I love you, and I love him. That's all the motivation I need to make it work."

Elena saw the determination that glinted in the hybrid's eyes, and smiled back in return. As she turned her attention back to the baby, she noticed that he was once again awake.

"Now, enough of all this gloomy talk. We have more important things to deal with," the hybrid stated, standing up fully.

Elena looked up at him curiously. "Like?"

"Like what we are going to name our son. We can't keep referring to him as 'him,'" he chuckled lightly. Elena looked back down to the boy, who was staring back at her brightly.

"I have an idea…but I'm not too sure if you'll like it too much," she smiled.

"Go on," he raised a brow in question.

Elena looked down at the baby again. "Grayson. Grayson Jonathan. After my father. Well, fathers," she giggled.

Klaus looked at Elena's delighted expression, then down at his son, smiling contently.

"I love it."


	22. Epilogue

A/N: Hi guys! Winter break was AMAZING! I hope Xmas and New Years went well for everyone! Finally sat down and wrote up the epilogue for the story, so here it is. Thank you so much for all those who have followed the story, given me suggestions, criticisms, and support. I definitely look forward to writing more stories, so if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to shoot me a message! Also, on that note, I received all of the messages regarding the possible plagiarism. I want to thank every one of you who were vigilant and let me know about this. Sharing ideas is fine, but I think as readers and writers we all appreciate the individual work and ideas of authors. I really hope that this was not the case, but when I went to check up on the matter the chapter had been removed. Once again, thank all of you SO much, and definitely shoot me messages for future story suggestions. I'd love to get started on a new one soon! As always, reviews are appreciated! xoxoxo

* * *

><p>6 months later….<p>

"C'mon Grayson, come to Auntie Bekah," Rebekah smiled brightly at the infant as Klaus picked him up and placed him on his feet. The baby babbled a bit, before plopping back down on his rump and crawling hastily to his aunt.

Klaus sighed with a smile, and shook his head. "So rebellious."

"Just like his father," Rebekah shot Klaus a look as she scooped the baby up and snuggled him closely.

"He can stand perfectly but won't take a step, it makes no sense," Klaus reached out for the boy as Rebekah placed him on his feet again. Grayson once again made a gurgling noise before plopping down and crawling happily over to his father.

"Stop pressuring my son to walk, I want to enjoy him as a baby," Elena suddenly entered the room, smiling brightly as Grayson turned his attention to her and began a speedy crawl in her direction.

Klaus stood and blurred over to capture the infant from the floor, then stood with him in his arms. "You finally finished packing?"

"Yeah," Elena sighed, reaching out to take her son from the hybrid's arms. Klaus ran his hands over her arms gently, and pulled her closer to him.

"You know you have nothing to be afraid of Elena," he spoke smoothly. Elena placed a kiss to Grayson's forehead and looked up into Klaus' warm eyes.

"We'll see about that…" she murmured as Grayson began on a rant, waving his arms.

"He's your brother Elena, he's going to love you and be happy to see you regardless. Besides, he won't be able to resist Grayson's charm," Elena smiled as Rebekah winked at her.

"And Grayson says stop worrying," Klaus ruffled his son's wispy hair with a grin. "Well now, let's get a move on. We don't want to miss our flight to Mystic Falls."

* * *

><p>"Jer! Someone's at the door!" Bonnie shouted from the couch.<p>

"My hands are a little full with cooking Bon!" Jeremy replied loudly.

"Ugghhh!" Bonnie huffed, getting up from the couch slowly and rubbing a hand over her side. "This better not be those Girl Scouts again…" she peered out the peephole tentatively, and was taken aback. "Oh my God!"

"What?" Jeremy came running into the living room as Bonnie opened the door hastily. They both stared wide-eyed at the pair who stood on the other side of the threshold.

"E…Elena?" Jeremy took a step closer to the door.

Elena gave Jeremy a lop-sided, warm smile and immediately bounded toward him. The moment she felt her little brother's strong arms wrap around her, she felt a sense of wholeness. She was home.

"My God Elena….I was so worried about you…"Jeremy sobbed into Elena's shoulder.

"Shhhh…it's okay Jer…I'm okay," she pulled back and wiped the tears from his face. The next thing to catch her eye was Bonnie's small bulging belly. "And what's this huh? You two are making me an aunt I see!"

Bonnie happily bounced over to Elena, rubbing her baby bump proudly. "6 months already. Elena we've missed you so much," Bonnie embraced her excitedly. Elena felt the tears slipping down her face. She'd missed so much while she was away….

"Don't mind me folks, I'm just standing outside in this balmy Virginia heat," All three heads snapped to the door as Klaus' voice interjected in the reunion.

"Come on in, it's not like you need an invitation," Elena rolled her eyes with a smile.

Jeremy stood frozen and looked at his sister in confusion as Bonnie grabbed Elena's arm. "Of course not, with him being a hybrid devil and all…" Bonnie grumbled and leaned close to Elena, pulling her away from the door. "Elena what is he doing here are you crazy!" as Klaus entered the house, she then turned her attention to the item he was bringing in with him. "And what the hell are you carrying?"

"Well witch, considering your current state, I'd say you may want to familiarize yourself with such things. You see this is called an infant carrier…"

"Okay, okay, enough," Elena held her hands up. "Let's just, all have a seat and talk."

"Talk? You've been gone for over a year Elena, all because of him, and you want us to talk?" Jeremy asked as a matter-of-factly as he lifted his arm around Bonnie, who'd returned to his side.

"Please Jer," Elena pleaded as Klaus shut the door quietly behind himself. "I know this must look crazy but…"

"It's insane Elena!" Bonnie shouted. Suddenly there was a slight whimper from the carrier Klaus held in his hand.

"Lower your voice, witch," Klaus growled low as two sets of stunned eyes shifted to the carrier.

Elena sighed audibly, and looked back to Bonnie and Jeremy. "Please Jeremy. Let's just talk."

Jeremy looked down at his sister's pleading eyes, and shrugged. "Fine…fine, c'mon Bonnie," he ushered his partner to the couch. Elena shot Klaus a look that he simply shrugged off, before following her to the couch opposite of Jeremy and Bonnie. Bonnie eyed the carrier as Klaus sat down, and huffed as he took care to set the carrier down in front of him to where she couldn't see the contents.

"So….where've you been 'Lena?" Jeremy ran a nervous hand through his hair as Klaus' steely eyes settled upon him.

Elena drew in a deep breath. 'Where do I even start…' "Jer, you remember when I told you that I was going with Klaus to break the curse?"

"Yeah, like it was yesterday," Jeremy snapped.

She swallowed. "I flew to England that same day. I've been in London since then."

"You've been in Europe with _him _this entire time?" Bonnie exclaimed in disbelief. Elena nodded.

"All to break that stupid curse Elena? We were worried _sick _about you!" Jeremy flew to his feet. "It took an entire year to break the curse?"

"Not exactly, you see she's being putting this trip off for some time now," Klaus smirked at Elena, who scowled at him. "But you're missing the important thing Gilbert. Your sister is alive and more than well. You should be questioning and thanking the gods for that more than berating her for being away."

"And why are you even here, exactly? And what the hell is in that basket!" Jeremy questioned angrily.

Klaus gave him a glaring smile before turning the carrier to face them. He then sat back and tossed an arm around the back of the couch. "Why don't you see for yourself?"

Elena swallowed thickly and felt herself lean into Klaus a little more. How would they react when they saw Grayson…

Jeremy took one step closer to investigate. There was a white blanket still covering the carrier. He frowned, and shook his head. "I'm not touching that basket," Jeremy stepped back to sit on the couch again.

"Honestly you humans are so melodramatic," the hybrid rolled his eyes and snatched the white blanket from the carrier.

The room was silent for a moment. Elena took the time to evaluate her brother and friend's shocked faces.

Bonnie was the first to speak. "A…baby?"

"Bravo witch! Took you a little longer to figure out than I would've imagined," he chuckled lightly, turning to Elena. "I mean, what else would I be carrying in a baby carrier?"

"Whose is it?" nervousness immediately flooded her voice. "Why would you steal someone's baby!" she shouted as she now was on her feet. "And Elena, you went along with this?"

The infant grimaced and let out a louder whimper this time, opening his eyes with a scowl.

"I said lower your voice!" Klaus venomously hissed at Bonnie as he hastily turned the basket back to face him and picked the baby up. "Shhhh…." He hushed the child, before turning his gaze back on Jeremy and Bonnie. "He hasn't gotten any sleep since we left London. And he gets his temper from his father."

Jeremy sat still as a statue as Bonnie looked at Klaus incredulously. "Wait. You're not seriously trying to say that that's _your _child?"

"It's his son, Bonnie," Elena said quietly as Klaus set the squirming boy on the floor. The baby quickly looked around, and set his sights on Jeremy and Bonnie. Bonnie and Jeremy looked at the baby, who gave them a toothless grin, before anxiously crawling over to them.

"But how…"

"Magic, witch. You should know that your kind can perform all sorts of miracles and whatnot," Klaus turned to Elena and smiled slightly as he watched her face brighten a little.

The baby made his way to Jeremy's leg and pulled himself up easily.

"He's…actually really cute," Bonnie examined the child, then glanced to Elena. "And so what, you're playing his nanny or something?"

Elena smiled slightly and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Not exactly, Bon."

Jeremy stared at the boy intently, who was looking up at him just as intrigued, before narrowing his eyes and looking to Elena. She looked back at him fervently, and suddenly realization dawned on him. "He's yours."

Bonnie's eyes widened as she looked to Elena, who nodded silently. "His name is Grayson Jonathan."

Grayson began to babble and tug at Jeremy's pant leg. Klaus smirked. "Looks like your nephew wants to be picked up by his uncle, Gilbert."

Jeremy slowly leaned down to pick up Grayson and stand him up on his legs. He could see the hybrid in the boy, but could definitely see Elena's features.

"I know this isn't how we expected life to be Jer…" Elena paused. "But, for the first time in a long time, I'm happy. Grayson gave me something to want to live for, something to fight for. He's such a special little boy Jer, and on top of me missing you, I wanted him to know his uncle."

"And where does _he _fit into all this Elena?" Bonnie looked at Klaus, then to Elena. Klaus put a hand atop of Elena's head and smoothed a palm down her hair, kissing her temple softly. Bonnie grimaced. "Don't tell me you feel something for him?"

"I love him, Bonnie. I don't know how it happened, but…"

"But you always find the good in people," Jeremy sighed, looking up at Elena as he bounced Grayson on his lap.

"You should know too, Gilbert, that I love your sister with everything I am. I know in the past I…"

"I'd rather not discuss the past, Klaus," Jeremy interrupted, running a hand over the curly hair of his nephew. "I'm going to trust Elena's judgment. She's alive, she's healthy, happier than I've seen in a long time, and has this adorable kid. And in some twisted way, you've played a part in all of that."

Elena felt the unease immediately seep from her body. All of the worrying in the back of her mind, all of the scrutiny and harshness that she had anticipated for all these months from her brother seemed to be a figment of her imagination now. Her brother was on board to try and understand all of this, and that's all that mattered. She freely leaned into Klaus' welcoming arm. "Thank you, Jer."

Jeremy looked up to his sister and smiled as he stood Grayson up on the floor. "Of course."

Grayson looked at his mother and father with a smile as he babbled and took a step.


	23. Hi Guys!

Hi Guys!

I know it's been awhile, school has really been kicking my butt, but I think im gonna give another story a go! This is where you come in; For now, I want to leave this story as is. So, I need some suggestions as to what coupling I should go for next. I've had a number of Delena requests so far, but I'm open to all others as well, so send me a direct message or review right here with any suggestions!

Also, thank you to PoisonedViolet and all others who have let me know of the plagiarism attempts of Jasper and Bella. This actually isnt the first time Ive been told about this particular author, and it really saddens me that this has continued on. I actually don't know what to do about it though, is there a way to report it? If there is, please do let me know as I'd GREATLY appreciate it!

I look forward to seeing what you all say and starting again soon ;)


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